Vincom wins lawsuit over Vincon

Vincom has won a prompt victory in the lawsuit against Vincon, where it sues Vincon for imitating its famous brand.

Just one month after Vincom Joint Stock Corporation took legal proceedings against the Vincon Land and Finance Corporation to the Hanoi People’s Court, and lodged an appeal to the inspectors of the Ministry of Science and Technology requesting to settle the case which it calls a “serious violation of intellectual property”, the Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Science and Technology released a decision to fine Vincon for the violations in industrial property rights.

As such, a new record in dealing with intellectual property right violations has been set, bringing a prompt victory to Vincom.

Besides, the Vietnam Intellectual Property Research Institute (VIPRI) has officially concluded that “the symbol of ‘Vincon’ is so similar to ‘Vincom’ that may make it mistaken for the brand “Vincom”, now under protection of the law.

The state management agencies have affirmed that the Vincon Land and Finance Corporation, which uses the symbol of “Vincon” on signboards, documents, advertisement tools, has violated the right for “Vincom” brand, owned by Vincom Corporation, under the protection of the law.

The agencies have decided to impose a fine of 14 million dong for\ the behavior of violating the regulations on intellectual property rights, and force Vincon Corporation to remove “Vincon” on signboards, documents, and advertisement tools.

In late November 2010, Vincom Joint Stock Corporation officially announced it will take legal proceedings against Vincon. According to Vincom, the commercial name of Vincon is similar to the commercial name of Vincom. Meanwhile, the name “Vincom” was registered for brand protection a long time ago, and the name has become well known in the real estate sector.

Vincom believes that the name “Vincon” has led to misunderstandings. People have mistaken Vincom for Vincon, thus causing negative impacts on the image and prestige of Vincom

After the announcement was made, on December 11, 2010, Vincon’s leaders came to the head office of Vincom Corporation to discuss the solutions to the case.

After the meeting, Vincom Corporation agreed to the suggestions by Vincon that the two corporations will hold a press conference to relay the result of the negotiations. At the press conference, the two sides will inform that Vincon will officially change its name and remove the violation factors. The two sides also agreed that the press conference would be held on December 22, 2010.

However, on December 17, 2010, Vincom Corporation received the Dispatch No 151 from Vincon Corporation, in which Vincon asked for the delay of the name changing until February 2011.

Right after receiving the document, Vincom decided to cancel the press conference agreed by the two sides and went ahead to take legal proceedings as previously planned.

Le Khac Hiep, Chair of Vincom, said that the decision by the Ministry of Science and Technology has created a precedent that helps authentic businesses to heighten their awareness in protecting their brands and to fight unhealthy behaviors in building and developing brands. This will help create a healthy and transparent business environment, where all enterprises have equal opportunities to do business. – Vietnamnet

Tags: Vincom, Vincon