Intellectual property protection, fulfillment of WTO commitments, improvements in the legal system and impacts of agricultural and environmental agreements on Vietnamese law were among the issues discussed at a conference held in Hanoi on July 2.
Intellectual property protection, fulfillment of WTO commitments, improvements in the legal system and impacts of agricultural and environmental agreements on Vietnamese law were among the issues discussed at a conference held in Hanoi on July 2.
The conference, entitled Inter-branch problems faced by Vietnam after WTO accession, not only reviewed economic achievements in the period but also pointed to such strong and complicated developments as inflation, trade deficit and disorders in financial, labor, real estate and securities markets.
According to experts, ineffective enforcement mechanisms for the enforcement of intellectual property rights have hindered the development of hi-tech industries, a domain in which Vietnam has great potential.
Vietnam should impose heavier fines on infringements of intellectual property rights and establish a specialized intellectual property court, a lawyer suggested.
Experts also proposed that courts should make their decisions independently without intervention by administrative agencies.
An expert from the University of Arizona suggested the raising of salaries for judicial staff, the improvement of legal and judicial training, and the creation of a specialized court or courts with exclusive jurisdiction over international trade, intellectual property and commercial cases.
He also proposed establishing a truly independent anti-corruption commission, increasing transparency and disclosing proceedings from central to local level.-