Two realty companies in HCM City are involved in a lawsuit over copyright and trademark infringement.
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| Culpability is attributed to HCM City municipal Department of Construction |
On July 21, HCM City Municipal Department of Construction received a petition from Nam Tien Investment Consulting And Construction Real Estate Joint Stock Company. The firm alleged that Nam Tien Joint Stock Company (Natico), another real estate company, violated copyright law.
Tran Duc Phuong, General Director of Nam Tien Investment Consulting and Construction Real Estate Joint Stock Company said the firm obtained business and tax registration certificates issued by the municipal Department of Planning and Investment in September 4, 2009.
The company was licensed to operate a realty transaction floor on February 22, 2010, under the name of Nam Tien. On May 5 of this year, they also secured a trademark on the name, issued from the Intellectual Property Department, part of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Natico opened a real estate transaction floor with the same name, Nam Tien, located at 95, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, on May 10 of this year, he said.
“I have trouble explaining to our clients that the two businesses are not the same. They have infringed on our trademark, and it causes confusion for our customers," Phuong emphasised.
In the meantime, Natico\'s General Director, Mai Xuan My, commented that the full name of his company and their counterpart are not the same.
According to My, they have asked the municipal Department of Construction about the possibility of infringement because of the names\' similarity, but were told that they were sufficiently different.
“If there is any culpability here, it is with the municipal Department of Construction. Any law suit should be lodged against those who issued the licenses, not us," My insisted.
Last November, Vincom Joint Stock Company sued VINCON Real Estate and Finance Joint Stock Company for violating trademark rules. Finally, Vincon was compelled to change its name to Vicoland Housing Construction and Development Group Joint Stock Company, and pay a fine of VND14 million (USD677) for intellectual property violations.
