Intellectual Property - A Bridge Connecting Students with Businesses

The competition attracted students from four universities: National Economics University, Hanoi Law University, Foreign Trade University, and University of Social Sciences and Humanities. This was also the sixth year that the university and the Intellectual Property Office organized this event.

April 26th each year is chosen by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as “World Intellectual Property DayWorld Intellectual Property Day (World IP Day). Through the themes of World IP Day, WIPO conveys a message encouraging global innovation and creativity.

2016 marked the 16th World IP Day organized by WIPO to raise awareness of the role of intellectual property in life and to honor the contributions of innovators to the development of society. Looking back at the messages WIPO has strived to convey over the past 16 years, it has consistently pursued the goal of promoting innovation and facilitating the transfer of intellectual property-related technologies to developing countries to accelerate economic, social, and cultural development, while protecting intellectual property rights worldwide.

In his opening remarks at the competition, the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Pham Quang Minh, spoke about the importance of improving the quality of research and training of human resources in intellectual property (IP), as well as enhancing public understanding of this field. He stated: In Vietnam today, strengthening the protection of IP rights to meet the increasingly high demands of the process of international economic integration has become an extremely urgent requirement. While IP protection in Vietnam is a relatively new concept, the State is currently making efforts to consolidate and improve the existing legal system. While Vietnam has achieved remarkable successes in building IP laws, the implementation of these regulations in practice has only just begun and has not yet achieved the desired effectiveness. To make Vietnam's IP protection system truly effective requires comprehensive and synchronized measures across many aspects. In this context, developing human resources in intellectual property (IP) and enhancing public awareness of IP through IP training and education programs at Vietnamese universities and colleges is of paramount importance.

The competition aims to connect training with the practical application of intellectual property rights (IPR), encouraging students and businesses to learn about and enhance their understanding of IPR – a crucial element in the knowledge-based economy and integration. It also provides a platform for interaction among "future managers" on an equal and friendly stage. Furthermore, the competition allows future managers to connect with and learn about successful businesses and CEOs, gaining valuable experience and a better understanding of their future careers and professions.

The competition consisted of three parts: Greetings - General knowledge of intellectual property - Situation handling. With the knowledge and skills imparted in university lectures on intellectual property, students from four major universities in Hanoi had the opportunity to showcase their talents through lively and interesting competition sections, contributing to spreading understanding and awareness of intellectual property to the community, thereby improving the effectiveness of protecting intellectual property assets in practice.

First prize went to Hanoi Law University, second prize to the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and third prize to the National Economics University and Foreign Trade University.

The competition is an annual event within the framework of the cooperation agreement on Intellectual Property between the Intellectual Property Office and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The three sponsors of the competition are Truong Xuan Intellectual Property Law Firm, MasterBrand Co., Ltd., and Phuong Hoang Law Firm.