Many OCOP products from Đắk Lắk carry QR codes for traceability. — Photo courtesy of MOST

ĐẮK LẮK — Đắk Lắk is shifting its focus from securing intellectual property rights to managing, exploiting and commercialising protected assets, with the aim of linking trademarks, geographical indications, inventions and other intellectual property more closely with production and markets.

By the end of 2025, the province had secured protection for 59 community trademarks, including three geographical indications, 15 certification marks and 41 collective marks. It also had 33 patents and utility solution patents.

These intellectual property assets provide an important basis for protecting the legitimate rights and interests of organisations, businesses, cooperatives and producer communities.

However, as the number of protected assets increases, securing certificates alone is no longer enough. A more important task is to ensure that these assets are properly managed, exploited and commercialised to create practical value in production, business and the market.

According to the Đắk Lắk Department of Science and Technology, some protected intellectual property assets have yet to fully realise their value in production, business and commercialisation.

The department is thus strengthening support for organisations, businesses, cooperatives and producer communities, with intellectual property protection linked more closely to production, markets, technology and innovation.

Department Deputy Director Trần Văn Sơn said that starting this year, intellectual property support would not only focus on registration and establishing rights, but would also extend to the management, exploitation and valuation of intellectual property assets, workforce training and support for dealing with infringements.

Under this approach, intellectual property is viewed as a resource that needs protection as well as one that can contribute to production, business development and market expansion.

Linking IP protection with markets

The new approach is particularly important for cooperatives, where more local products are being developed through improvements in quality, brand building, the application of standards and the use of QR codes for traceability.

Once a product has built a reputation in the market, its name, trademark, identifying features, packaging design and production processes can become valuable assets that need to be identified, protected and properly exploited.

At the same time, products made by cooperatives are increasingly reaching consumers through e-commerce platforms, social media and online sales channels.

Digital transformation has expanded market access, but has also created new risks for intellectual property rights. Product images, names and packaging can be copied, while consumers may be confused about the origin of products.

This makes it increasingly important to link intellectual property protection with traceability and digital transformation.

Traceability provides information about how a product is made, from its place of origin to its production processes and different stages in the value chain. Intellectual property protection, meanwhile, provides a legal basis for protecting names, identifying marks and creative values that have been established.

For Đắk Lắk’s specialty products, combining these tools can improve recognition and strengthen consumer confidence.

When a brand is protected, product information is transparent and production processes are controlled, a product’s value is not limited to physical goods. Its reputation, quality and links with the producer community can also contribute to its market value.

From certificates to markets

The province’s intellectual property development goal is therefore not simply to increase the number of protected trademarks or certificates.

More importantly, Đắk Lắk aims to build the capacity of businesses, cooperatives and other stakeholders to manage and exploit intellectual property assets after protection has been granted.

This includes identifying the value of intellectual property, protecting it against infringement and making better use of it in production, business and market development.

For cooperatives and businesses, effective intellectual property management can help turn brands, product quality, production processes and reputation into assets that can be protected and developed as products reach wider markets.

This is particularly relevant as local products gain access to new markets through digital platforms. Wider market access increases opportunities for producers, but also makes the protection and management of intellectual property more important.

The shift in focus from certificates to markets is thus becoming an important step in Đắk Lắk’s approach to intellectual property.

By connecting intellectual property with technology, data, traceability and commercialisation, the province aims to ensure that protection does not stop at establishing rights, but contributes more directly to product value, competitiveness and local economic development. — VNS