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Rice paper maker sued for copyright violation
A southern state-owned food company has been sued for imitating the logo and brand name of a rice paper product that has been copyrighted.
Pham Van Tu, President of the agriculture and aquaculture producer and processor, Tien Giang Province-based Thuan Phong Company, said he has filed a lawsuit against Safoco Foodstuff Joint-Stock Co. (SAF VN), a Ho Chi Minh City-based food producer under the Southern Food Corporation.
Tu said his company in 2008 received protection from Vietnam National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) for its rice paper product brand “Hieu ba cay tre” or “Three bamboo” with a logo that depicts three bamboo stems.
The company has registered for the same protection in the US where the paper is mostly exported to.
But another rice paper product by Safoco has been sold at SG Superstore in California with many similarities to Thuan Phong’s rice paper, Tu said.
Safoco brands their product “Bui tre” or “Bamboo hedge” and decorates the cover with three bamboos similar to Thuan Phong rice paper logo.
Thuan Phong rice paper reads “Vietnamese Rice Paper, size 22 cm, weight 12oz/340 grams” and “especially used for spring rolls”. Safoco package reads the same.
The two products are produced under the same formula, according to the two packages.
NOIP officials under the Ministry of Science and Technology said Safoco has violated the copyright of Thuan Phong rice paper by copying the latter’s brand name and trademark without their approval.
Tu said he has sent a note requesting Safoco to stop producing and exporting the copycat rice paper but “Safoco didn’t have the goodwill to fix the situation or to reply to us.”
Phuong Ha
thanhnien
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