Trademark trickery blurs rice status 00:00 | 04/05/2021
Unlike regional competition, Vietnamese branding approaches of well-established rice varieties could still see some improvements because of existing ambiguities in the product development strategies of the responsible government agenies. Nevertheless, the renowned ST25 rice could still participate in next yearâs World Rice competition, and thus secure fame for one of the most important export goods of the nation.
ST25 was voted Worldâs Best Rice at the award ceremony of the same name in 2019, Photo: Le Toan
It is currently not possible to determine whether the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will approve which company as the rightful owner of the ST24 and ST25 rice trademark in the US. On its trademark registration system, the USPTO on April 22 stated that five dossiers for the registration of trademark protection of ST25 rice are currently being examined, which me
Tuesday, May 04, 2021, 20:29 GMT+7
This image shows workers handling bags of ST24 rice at a warehouse in Vietnam. Photo: Chi Quoc / Tuoi Tre
Following several American enterprises, an Australian company has registered Vietnam’s ST24 and ST25 rice varieties for trademark protection in Australia, prompting the Southeast Asian country to proceed with measures to deal with such registration.
The Australian enterprise, T&L Global Foods Supply Pty Ltd, submitted its application for registering these varieties as the “Rice; Best Rice of the World,” on April 22, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Monday.
It will take months for Australian authorities to examine this registration, the ministry said, adding that the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia has taken urgent measures to cope with the situation.
Vietnam files patent litigation for local rice varieties in Australia
May 3, 2021 | 04:32 pm GMT+7
A person reaches for a bag of ST25 rice at a store District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, on April 23, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.
Vietnam has sent a complaint to intellectual property officials in Australia, saying exports of local ST25 and ST24 rice varieties are harmed by a trademark dispute.
Nguyen Phu Hoa, head of Vietnam Trade Office in Australia, said the agency has sent documents and photos to intellectual property (IP) officials Australia to clarify that the rice varieties named ST24, ST25 are developed in Vietnam by Ho Quang Cua.
Australian firm seeks patent for Vietnam rice variety
By Phuong Anh May 2, 2021 | 09:39 am GMT+7
A bag of ST25 rice sold at a store in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.
An Australian firm has sought a patent for Vietnamese rice varieties ST25 and ST24.
According to intellectual property authority IP Australia, T&L Global Foods Supply PTY LTD on April 22 sought to register ‘Rice; Best Rice of the World’ trademarks for the two varieties.
Both were developed in Vietnam by farmer-scientist Ho Quang Cua, with ST25 going on to win the first prize in the 2019 World’s Best Rice Contest held in the Philippines and ST24 the second prize in the 2017 contest in Macau.
Vietnam fights US company trying to steal its ST25 rice brand patent
By Hoai Thu, Phuong Anh April 30, 2021 | 04:11 pm GMT+7
A customer holds a pack of ST25 rice at a store in Ho Chi Minh City on April 23, 2021. Photo by VnEpxress/Quynh Tran.
The Vietnam Trade Office in the U.S. is helping a Vietnamese company fight a U.S. company that it trying to illegally patent the world s best rice, ST25 from Vietnam.
Bui Huy Son, the head of the office, said the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has been apprised that ST25 was developed by a group of Vietnamese scientists.