This year, the American Chamber of Commerce celebrates 24 years serving as the “Voice of American Business” in Vietnam and our members remain committed to helping improve business conditions in order to strengthen the private sector and promote economic and social development here.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to step up inspections this year to improve protection for intellectual property rights (IPR).

The Law Amending a Number of Articles of the 2015 Penal Code (the Code) tool effect on January 1, 2018. The new legal texts provide more drastic measures for IP rights holders and enforcement bodies to fight IP infringements in general and software piracy in particular.

After suspending the 2015 Penal Code from taking effect for one year, the National Assembly passed on June 20, 2017, the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Penal Code, in which the crimes against intellectual property rights have been significantly amended and will come into effect from January 1, 2018.

The Vietnamese government has set itself a high bar in their effort to pursue IP infringements as part of its effort to fully integrate itself with the global economy. It has recognized that the strong protection of innovation and investment from foreign investors and local entrepreneurs is vital to Vietnam’s economic development, and this ought to be applauded.

The issue of intellectual property (IP) is dealt with in Chapter 18 and the annexes of the TPP, which is believed to pose many challenges for Vietnam in terms of both legal aspects and IPR enforcement. This article analyzes some of these challenges.

Enterprise names that infringe upon protected industrial property subject matters, including marks, geographical indications and trade names, can be seen everywhere in Vietnam. This is due to inconsistence between regulations on business registration and those on intellectual property rights.

Greater awareness of the real impacts of intellectual property rights (IPR) violations is key to fighting piracy and counterfeiting, experts said at a workshop on April 20 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The 2005 Law on Intellectual Property (IP Law), which includes 222 articles and took effect on July 1, 2006, has opened a new chapter for protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) in Vietnam. This law together with its guiding regulations also has actively contributed to Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

A workshop on intellectual property rights (IPR) in Vietnam was held on April 2 in Ho Chi Minh City by the European Commission-ASEAN Intellectual Property Rights Cooperation Program (ECAP II) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in collaboration with the Vietnamese General Department of Customs.