Trade Commission: Export of Snack 'Ppeongiya' to Vietnam Infringes Trademark Rights... Export Must Be Halted

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] A decision has been made that exporting the snack 'Ppeongiya,' reminiscent of the snack 'Ppeongiyo,' to Vietnam constitutes trademark infringement.

The Trade Commission of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held its 396th meeting on the 21st to determine whether there was unfair trade practice related to snack trademark infringement.

On this day, the Trade Commission judged that two domestic companies exporting snacks named 'Ppeongiya' to Vietnam committed unfair trade practices by infringing on the trademark rights of the snack 'Ppeongiyo' owned by Seoul Food Industry Co., Ltd.

This ruling followed an investigation request by Seoul Food Industry, a small and medium-sized enterprise that manufactures, sells, and exports snacks, claiming that its trademark rights for the snack 'Ppeongiyo,' launched in 1982, were infringed upon by two domestic export companies.

After six months of document review and on-site investigation, the Trade Commission made this decision. The two companies were ordered to stop manufacturing and exporting for export purposes, issued corrective orders including public disclosure of the facts, and imposed fines.

At the meeting, it was also decided to initiate an investigation into unfair trade practices concerning the patent infringement of pneumococcal vaccines.

Previously, Wyeth LLC, a foreign company holding the patent rights for pneumococcal vaccines, requested an investigation, claiming that two domestic companies exported products infringing on its patent rights, constituting unfair trade practices.

After reviewing the applicant's patent rights and investigation request documents, the Trade Commission found that the products manufactured and exported by the two domestic companies allegedly infringed the applicant's patent rights and decided to commence an investigation into unfair trade practices.

The Trade Commission will determine whether unfair trade practices occurred after a 6 to 10-month investigation, including document review, on-site investigation, and technical briefings.

A Trade Commission official stated, "Export and import of goods infringing domestic intellectual property rights such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights are subject to unfair trade practice investigations," and urged, "Small and medium-sized export-import companies should pay special attention to avoid becoming subjects of unfair trade practice investigations due to lack of awareness of intellectual property rights."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.