Hanoi (VNA) 💮- World Intellectual Property (IP) Day is celebrated on April 26, under the 2023 campaign theme entitled “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity”. This is an opportunity to honour talented women all over the world towards ensuring gender equality in IP.

Women in all regions are shaping the world through their imagination, ingenuity and hard work; however, relatively few are part of the IP system, which means few benefit from IP. As women lose out, the world loses out. Thus, it is necessary to develop better technologies that work for everyone, establish thriving woman-led businesses, and support economic recovery.

On the occasion of the World Intellectual Property Day, Dinh Huu Phi, Director of the National Office of Intellectual Property under the Ministry of Science and Technology, granted an interview on the issue with the Vietnam News Agency.

Reporter:☂ Could you please tell us the significance of the IPDay 2023’s message?

Dinh Huu Phi:𝔉 The IPDay 2018 was held under the theme of “Powering change: Women in Innovation and Creativity”. Five years have gone, and this is time for us to look back and honour women’s devotion to socioeconomic development. This year’s theme highlights women’s participation in the IP system, as it plays an important role in ensuring gender equality in the sector. Women have the capacity, opportunity and tools to access and carry out their IP rights.

Encouraging women to use the IP system to protect and improve their product value will be a catalyst to boost innovation, and serve as a locomotive for a new growth period.

 Reporter:𝓀 In your opinion, what measures should be taken to encourage women to study and effectively use the IP tool?

Dinh Huu Phi:🐓 IP is an effective tool which supports creators in the fields of industry, literature and art. Initially, we should channel focus on improving capacity of women working in the fields. The huge benefits that IP brings to female scientists and authors, and women-led businesses will create a knock-on effect on other fields.

Women have an important influence on consumer spending, and should be equipped with sufficient knowledge to identify counterfeit goods. Therefore, competent sides should work to raise the awareness of IP, implementation of IP rights, and formation of an IP culture for women in the community.

♏ Besides, consultancy and support programmes for research activities, production and business should give priority to women.

Reporter: What are the Vietnamese Government’s support policies for female scientists, female inventors, and women-led businesses and cooperatives, especially in the fields of IP. How do you evaluate the policies or programmes’ efficiency?

Dinh Huu Phi: Seeing challenges that female inventors and women-led businesses are facing, the Vietnamese Government has issued an array of support policies and programmes.

Project 939 on supporting women startups during the period of 2017-2025 is one highlight. Vice President of the Vietnam Women’s Union Ton Ngoc Hanh said that thanks to the project, women nationwide introduced nearly 3,000 startup projects at the women’s startup contest, while there were more than 72,000 women entrepreneurs starting their business. Besides, over 1,450 enterprises and 520 cooperatives led by women were set up with the project’s support.

Actually, over the past years, IP authorities at all levels have paid due regard to carrying out IP activities among women by coordinating with the Vietnam Women’s Union, Vietnam Women’s Academy, and women unions at ministries and sectors to organise workshops and conferences.

Reporter:ꦍ What are the necessary measures to narrow the gap and create opportunities for women to access the IP system so as to create fair competition in both domestic and international arenas?

Dinh Huu Phi:🅰 In my opinion, there are several measures to create favourable conditions for women to engage in scientific research, access the IP system, and improve competitive edge as follows:

First, it is a must to make recommendations to amend current regulations and laws, helping female inventors and business owners have a better position in the new situation. The regulations and laws should be specific in the way the Government promotes gender equality, and rational remuneration mechanisms that encourage women to participate in research activities.

Second, more science and technology programmes at national level should be organised for excellent women.

🎃 Third, training programmes should be put in place, helping women improve their competitive edge. Besides, international cooperation plays an important role in supporting female inventors and businesswomen.

Reporter: Thank you for spending time with us!

Box:💖 Women account for only one in five designers behind the look and feel of products from simple packaging to mobile phones and automotive exteriors, according to new WIPO data released on World Intellectual Property Day. This underlines the need to ramp up efforts to bridge a “gender gap” in intellectual property (IP)-backed innovation

World IP Day is celebrated each April 26, with the 2023 campaign theme entitled “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity.” Previous findings show that only about 16% of inventors listed in international patent applications – one metric of human innovation – are women, which is now mirrored by new data on women’s participation in industrial design applications. According to preliminary statistics on design activity across the globe in 2022, women accounted for around 21 percent of listed designers in global industrial design applications found in WIPO’s Global Design Database, which covers some 80% of total worldwide design activity. While that figure has doubled since 2001, parity with men is not expected until 2009 at current rates. This “gender gap” is now evidenced in two important IP rights, and it underscores the need for collective action to ensure that women’s potential across the globe is tapped for humanity’s collective benefit./.