Nguyen Thi Dieu Hien, a female student from Dong Thap province in Vietnam, who is currently a 12th-grade student at Phu Thanh A High School, has successfully researched and produced lipstick made from lotus flowers. Prior to this, in 2021, Hien’s project won second prize in a startup competition organized by the Department of Education and Training and also a second prize in an innovation and creativity startup competition organized by the Dong Thap Youth Union.

🌸 Hien’s idea originated from her love and passion for the lotus flower, which is not only Vietnam’s national flower but also a symbol of her hometown, Dong Thap. Therefore, her lotus lipstick product has both practical value, appealing to consumers who love natural products, and symbolic value representing her hometown.

⁉ Despite having many values and development potential, does Hien’s product meet the criteria for patentability as an invention?

   💎 Hien’s lotus lipstick product shares similarities with Chinese patent CN108113905 by Zhang Xiong. The key difference is that Zhang Xiong’s patent uses lotus flower essential oil, whereas Hien grinds lotus flowers into powder and combines them with olive oil, jojoba oil, and others.

   💎 However, there are still many inventions related to cosmetics and lotus-based lipsticks worldwide. Therefore, to develop her lotus lipstick product into a patentable invention, Hien may need professional research and consultation to ensure that her invention is novel and does not overlap with existing global databases.

🌟 IP Group is a place that provides interesting and useful information about inventions.

⚡️ After creating a technically feasible solution that meets the three conditions of an invention: novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability, what should be done to register a patent for that invention with the Intellectual Property Office?

1. Check the registration feasibility.
2. Write the patent description and submit the application.
3. Formal examination of the application.
4. Publish the application.
5. Substantive examination of the application.
6. Issuance of the patent.

✨ IP Group, with its highly competent and experienced team, is always dedicated to assisting clients in registering patents smoothly. Additionally, we collaborate with clients to research and validate their ideas, transforming “raw ideas” into “good ideas” and ensuring successful patent registration.

📌 Initially gaining a foothold in the U.S. semiconductor market by supplying exclusive NAND flash memory for iPods, Samsung gradually evolved into a top brand in the Android smartphone operating system and became the direct rival of the iPhone in the smartphone market.

❓What does Samsung have to outperform long-established competitors in the market?

☑ With the advantage of a portfolio of patents, after being accused by Apple of copyright infringement, Samsung quickly counter-sued, alleging the infringement of their 5 patents, and regained the upper hand.

☑ Additionally, with superior hardware manufacturing capabilities and innovation in advertising and marketing, Samsung managed to surpass other competitors and directly compete with Apple in just 18 months.

🔆 The competitor that Samsung has not yet surpassed – Apple, is the “patent king,” and it is precisely the exclusive patents that have propelled Samsung to its current position. This rivalry is even implicitly acknowledged in Samsung’s corporate culture. Samsung employees are reminded of their mission at all times: Take a bite of the apple (Defeat Apple).

💖 Samsung’s success story demonstrates the immense power of exclusive patents in manufacturing and business. It also shows that the fastest way to develop is to aim for the strongest competitor.

💢 Plant protection products have always been a challenging issue in agriculture for health and the environment.

❎ Although there have been many studies and promotions of the use of biological products in plant protection instead of chemical pesticides, it seems that this issue has not shown promising signs in Vietnam.

🌟 A group of students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, including Quach Phong Dat, Le Thi Tuyet Nhi, and Phan Thi Tuong Vy, used five-leaf lucky tree leaves and pineapple leaves to create a liquid extract to combat the harmful cotton bollworm larvae on mustard greens. Their goal is to partially alleviate the environmental burden and protect human health from chemical pesticides.

🎯 This invention contributes to increasing the availability of biological plant protection products, environmental protection, and human health. However, this product still needs further investment and research expansion to test its practical application.

💕 Biological plant protection products need to be developed both in terms of quantity and quality to completely replace chemical pesticides and protect the environment and human health. Vietnam can use this approach to develop sustainable agriculture.

[Nguyen Tat Thanh University]

📌 On June 5, 2022, Mr. Ngo Dac Thuan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IP Group, participated in teaching at the training session “Enhancing Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Intellectual Property, and Digital Transformation Capabilities in the Pharmaceutical Industry” at Nguyen Tat Thanh University. The topic of his lecture was “Invention, Intellectual Property Assets in Innovation, Research & Development in the Pharmaceutical Field.”

💡 This topic provided faculty and students at the Faculty of Pharmacy at Nguyen Tat Thanh University with knowledge about innovation and intellectual property that can be applied in the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, the faculty and students at the university have experienced a change in their research mindset, promising to create projects and inventions that bring value to the university and the community.

💖 IP Group has been a steadfast partner of Nguyen Tat Thanh University in innovation and entrepreneurship activities for the past 5 years and is committed to continuing this strong collaboration in the future.

Hugo Dinh, a Vietnamese engineer, has successfully created hearing aids that can diagnose and remotely monitor epilepsy patients in collaboration with his team.

🔎 The invention may look like a regular set of headphones, but it actually incorporates electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors. In addition to the silicon earbud acting as a conductor, the device contains a very small “black box” that houses the EEG data collection system, signal processing software, and biometric recognition.

✨ Thanks to this technology, the device can detect signs of epilepsy, enabling remote diagnosis without the need for a hospital visit. Artificial intelligence (AI) is used to analyze this data, helping doctors make accurate diagnoses and choose the most appropriate treatment methods. The breakthrough lies in the high-precision brain wave measurement, ensuring accurate epilepsy diagnosis.

🎯 AI technology has rapidly been applied in almost all fields worldwide. To keep pace with this development, Vietnam needs to further invest in research and innovation, especially in AI, to facilitate the application in solving technical issues more efficiently.

⚜️ Agriculture in Vietnam has traditionally relied on raw agricultural exports with low added value, making it susceptible to spoilage when stored at border checkpoints. Therefore, investing in processing technology is the most effective way to develop agriculture and increase the value of agricultural products.

❌ However, cost remains the biggest challenge for technology investment in agricultural processing. High costs lead to higher prices, significantly reducing competitiveness in the market.

💡 Faced with this issue, a group of scientists from Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry has researched a technology process for producing pomelo candy, jam, juice, and crystalline Naringin with a cost of only a few hundred million VND.

⭐ The project not only solves the cost investment problem but is also considered practical and suitable for the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, with the potential for technology transfer to serve production.

📌 Vietnam needs to continue investing in cost-effective processing technologies to leverage its existing agricultural advantages.

💢 Nowadays, almost all women around the world use sanitary pads. Due to its widespread use, the number of sanitary pads disposed of into the environment daily, monthly, and yearly is incalculable.

❌ It is worth noting that a sanitary pad takes up to 500 years to decompose, and the absorbent material in sanitary pads is a significant issue for waste separation.

💡 Sharing a common concern about this issue, three Vietnamese girls, Luong Anh Khanh Huyen (16 years old), Tran Quynh Anh (15 years old), and Bui Tu Uyen (17 years old), implemented the idea of producing sanitary pads from dragon fruit peels and participated in the international environmental protection innovation competition, The Earth Prize.

🎊 Their innovation was highly convincing to the judging panel as it addressed both agricultural waste and household waste issues. They were the only representatives from Vietnam to enter the finals and became the first champions of this award.

💖 The success of this group is an initial step that reflects a promising future in the field of innovation and creative renewal based on the development of Vietnam’s young generation.

[Training] [HUFI]

⚡ At 5:30 PM on Sunday, April 24, 2022, IP Group conducted an online training session on the topic “Methods and skills in extracting information from expired inventions in scientific research activities, implementing research projects” at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI). This training topic is part of the IP Group’s training series on Innovation and Intellectual Property for lecturers at HUFI.

🔆 The program featured training by various experts:

     🤵 Mr. Ngo Dac Thuan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IP Group.

     🤵 Mr. Chu Manh Quan, Specialist.

     🤵 Mr. Nguyen Thanh Minh, Specialist.

🌟 The next training topic is scheduled to be held on May 8, 2022, aiming to foster long-term and sustainable cooperation between IP Group and HUFI.

🧠 IP Group is always committed to accompanying HUFI on the path of creativity and knowledge development.

🥗 Japan is renowned for its health-conscious culinary culture, where Japanese dishes often use very few spices and seasonings to ensure a high level of authenticity. Consequently, Japanese cuisine tends to be saltier than other flavors, and salt plays a crucial role.

🍲 In contrast, Vietnamese cuisine, known for its bold flavors, is in line with the hot and humid characteristics of Southeast Asia, the homeland of various spices. However, to achieve rich flavors, salt is also an indispensable ingredient.

🍽 While culinary traditions vary between nations and cultures, none deny the importance of salt. Nevertheless, eating too bland is unappetizing, and excessive salt consumption is harmful to health! What is the best solution for both?

🥢 Does the invention of the “electric salt-enhancing chopsticks” by Japanese researchers provide an optimal solution to the salt, flavor, and health dilemma?

⚜ A story filled with compassion.

🌟 An innovation born out of love and solidarity, transcending borders.

🎯 The invention by Mr. Nguyen Huu Joe has presented a new solution to address flooding and landslides more effectively. Importantly, thanks to this innovation, people can be safer during heavy rains and floods.

💎 IP Group is currently working diligently to bring this meaningful invention into practical application in the near future.

✔ Calculating the amount of energy consumption on ships not only helps efficiently manage and utilize energy but also increases safety for those on board.

✔ Efficient energy management also contributes to reducing the emission of harmful exhaust gases from ships into the environment, mitigating environmental pollution and climate change.

💢 This is indeed a practical research idea for the maritime industry regarding energy issues. However, energy management only addresses a small part of the environmental protection puzzle. Developing innovations that apply alternative green energy sources to replace diesel is a sustainable solution.