Who is the Owner of the Geographical Indication?

According to Clause 4, Article 121 of the Intellectual Property Law 2005, it is stipulated as follows: The owner of a geographical indication of Vietnam is the State.

In addition, Article 88 of this Law also stipulates:

"The right to register a geographical indication of Vietnam belongs to the State.

The State allows organizations and individuals producing products bearing geographical indications, collective organizations representing these organizations and individuals or local administrative authorities where the geographical indication is located to exercise the right to register the geographical indication. The person exercising the right to register the geographical indication does not become the owner of that geographical indication."

From the above bases, we can see that the right to register a geographical indication of Vietnam belongs to the State. The State may grant the right to register a geographical indication to other individuals and organizations. However, the person exercising the right to register a geographical indication does not become the owner of the geographical indication. The owner of the geographical indication remains the State of Vietnam.

Sincerely!