A mobile store on Dien Bien Phu Street, Hanoi, removed the “half-eaten apple” logo on its banner. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - A number of mobile stores in Hanoi beganremoving Apple’s “half-eaten apple” logo from their shop banners following theUS tech company’s request sent to Vietnamese mobile traders recently.
A manager of a mobile store on Thai Ha Street, Hanoitold Viet Nam News that even though signs with the logo wereattractive, they would change and remove the logo as it belonged to Apple andwas protected.
A store owner on Xa Dan Street also said thathis store respected the rights of Apple. “Even though the logo makes it easyfor buyers to recognise that our store is selling Apple products, we willrepair our shop banners soon because it is the trademark of Apple.”
However, he said that there would be other waysto make buyers realise the store sold Apple products such as writing “iPhone”or “iPad” in Vietnamese like “ai phon”, “ai pat” or using photos.
Apple Inc’s legal representative in Vietnam,VOTRA Co Ltd, recently sent documents to Vietnamese phone stores on theirillegal use of the brand’s trademark without Apple’s permission.
The Apple legal representatives mentioned storesusing the “half-eaten apple” logo, trademarks “Apple”, “iPhone” or other namessuch as “Apple Store”, “App Store”, “iPad”, “iPod” and “MacBook”, which areprotected in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese representative of the UStechnology company requested the stores stop using Apple’s trademark withinseven days of receiving the letter. VOTRA also asked the stores to stop sellingfake products under the Apple brand name.
Apple has increased its presence in Vietnamsince the end of 2015 when it opened an office in HCM City. In 2016, Applehired VOTRA as its legal representative.
Nguyen Ngoc Duy My from attorney office TriLawin HCM City told news website ndh.vn that under Article 123 of Vietnam’sLaw on Intellectual Property 2005, trademark owners had the right to use, allowor prevent others from using their trademark.
"Because of these rights, if Apple does notgive written permission to allow others (in this case Vietnamese stores) to useits trademark, these stores do not have the right to use them,” said My.
My also noted that just because a store soldApple products did not mean they could use Apple’s trademark without writtenconsent.
In term of fines, the lawyer said shops could befined from 500,000 VND (22 USD) to 250 million VND (11,000 USD) depending onthe level of their violation, business scale and commodity value.
Violators could also receive other punishmentssuch as business suspension from one to three months, material confiscation, orbe forced to destroy the infringing goods, she added. -VNA
VNA
