25 Basic Terms in the Field of Intellectual Propert

Based on Article 4, Part One - Law on Intellectual Property of Vietnam

In a period where science, technology and innovation play a pivotal role, intellectual assets are increasingly becoming a crucial resource for enhancing competitiveness, driving economic growth, and advancing science and technology. The protection of Intellectual Property (IP) not only helps individuals, enterprises, and research organizations safeguard their creative outcomes, but also stimulates commercialization, attracts investment, and increases the value of products and services.

To understand correctly - use correctly - and protect correctly, it is essential to master the foundational terminology of the IP field. Below are 25 fundamental concepts frequently used and defined in Article 4, Part One of the Law on Intellectual Property of Vietnam.

1. Intellectual property rights are the rights of organizations and individuals to intellectual assets, including copyright and related rights, industrial property rights, and rights to plant varieties.
2. Copyright is the right of organizations and individuals to works they create or own.
3. Related rights to copyright (also known as related rights) are the rights of organizations and individuals to performances, sound recordings, video recordings, broadcasts, and encrypted satellite signals carrying encoded programs.
4. Industrial property rights are the rights of organizations and individuals to inventions, industrial designs, layout designs of semiconductor integrated circuits, trademarks, trade names, geographical indications, trade secrets that they create or own, and the right to prevent unfair competition.
5. Rights to plant varieties are the rights of organizations and individuals to new plant varieties they have selected, discovered and developed, or to which they are entitled to ownership.
6. Owners of intellectual property rights are the owners of IP rights or organizations/individuals to whom the IP rights have been transferred.
7. A work is a creative product in the fields of literature, art, and science, expressed in any medium or form.
8. A derivative work is a translated work; an adapted, modified, transformed, compiled, annotated, or selected work.
9. A published work, sound recording or video recording is a work, sound recording or video recording that has been distributed with the consent of the copyright owner or related rights owner for dissemination to the public in a reasonable number of copies.
10. Reproduction is the creation of one or more copies of a work or a sound/video recording by any means or form, including permanent or temporary electronic storage of the work.
11. Broadcasting is the transmission of sounds or images, or both, of a work, performance, sound recording, video recording, or broadcast program to the public by wireless or wired means, including satellite transmission enabling the public to receive it at a place and time of their choosing.
12. An invention is a technical solution in the form of a product or process intended to solve a specific problem through the application of natural laws.
13. An industrial design is the external appearance of a product expressed by shapes, lines, colors, or a combination thereof.
14. A semiconductor integrated circuit is a product in finished or semi-finished form in which elements, at least one active element, and some or all interconnections are integrally formed inside or on a semiconductor substrate to perform electronic functions. Integrated circuit is synonymous with IC, chip, and microelectronic circuit.
15. A layout design of a semiconductor integrated circuit (also referred to as a layout design) is the spatial structure of circuit elements and their interconnections in a semiconductor integrated circuit.
16. A trademark is a sign used to distinguish goods or services of different organizations or individuals.
17. A collective mark is a trademark used to distinguish goods or services of members of the organization that owns the mark from those of organizations or individuals who are not its members.
18. A certification mark is a trademark whose owner allows other organizations or individuals to use on their goods or services to certify characteristics such as origin, raw materials, materials, production methods, service provision methods, quality, accuracy, safety, or other properties of goods or services bearing the mark.
19. Associated marks are trademarks registered by the same owner, identical or similar to each other, used for the same, similar, or related types of products or services.
20. A well-known trademark is a trademark widely recognized by consumers throughout the entire territory of Vietnam.
21. A trade name is the designation of an organization or individual used in business activities to distinguish the business entity bearing that name from others operating in the same field and area.
    The business area specified in this clause is the geographical area where the business entity has partners, customers, or reputation.
22. A geographical indication is a sign used to indicate that a product originates from a specific area, locality, territory, or country.
23. A trade secret is information obtained from financial or intellectual investment activities, not yet disclosed, and capable of being used in business.
24. A plant variety is a population of plants belonging to the lowest accepted botanical classification, uniform in morphological characteristics, stable through propagation cycles, identifiable by the expression of traits determined by genotype or gene combinations, and distinguishable from any other plant population by at least one heritable trait.
25. A protection title is a document issued by a competent state authority to organizations and individuals to establish industrial property rights to inventions, industrial designs, layout designs, trademarks, geographical indications, and rights to plant varieties.

Understanding and correctly using Intellectual Property terminology not only strengthens intellectual asset protection but also forms a critical foundation for promoting scientific research, technology commercialization, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

In the coming time, the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer will continue sharing knowledge related to the topic of Intellectual Property. The Center hopes that these contributions will support research activities, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the application of technology in practice.

Currently, the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer is receiving patent registration dossiers from individuals, lecturers, researchers, and enterprises.

For any related information, please contact:

Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer - TDTU

• Address: Room F.0104 - 19 Nguyen Huu Tho Street, Tan Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
• Phone: (028) 3776 0653 - 037 246 1275 (Contact: Que Tran)
• Email: citt@tdtu.edu.vn
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citt.tdtu/