Intellectual property enforcement in Vietnam

A scientific workshop on the theme "Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in Vietnam after joining the World Trade Organization - WTO" was jointly organized by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Konrad Adenauer Institute on February 21-22, 2011.The workshop was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Duc Nghieu - Vice Rector of the University, Mr. Amos R. Helms - Head Representative of the Kornad Adenauer Institute in Vietnam, Mr. Hoang Van Tan - Deputy Director of the Intellectual Property Office, and representatives of Vietnamese and international scientists. The workshop focused on clarifying one of the most pressing issues in recent times: disputes related to intellectual property protection rights. In his opening speech, Vice Rector Vu Duc Nghieu emphasized that from 2001 to the present, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has received active cooperation and very effective support from the Kornad Adenauer Institute to organize many workshops with the overarching theme of the social market economy and Vietnam's WTO accession process. Today's seminar, in addition to building upon past successes, opens up new research topics, reflecting the changes that have been and are taking place in Vietnam, especially after Vietnam became the 150th member of the World Trade Organization in 2007. From specific examples related to intellectual property rights in Germany and the European Union, the international nature – one of the most important and difficult challenges to protecting intellectual property – was presented by Professor Ansgar Staudinger (Faculty of Law, University of Bielefeld - Federal Republic of Germany) in his report: “Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in Germany/European Union”. Professor Ansgar argues that while enacting intellectual property laws is relatively simple, determining which mechanisms to use within each country or national union remains a major issue. The issue of intellectual property enforcement in Vietnam is also a significant topic addressed in most of the reports. Many examples of intellectual property enforcement in Vietnam were discussed by scientists, such as the report "Case No. DS 362 between China and the United States concerning measures affecting the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights and lessons for Vietnam" by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Phuoc Hiep (Ministry of Justice), and "Resolving conflicts between trademarks and trade names in the process of intellectual property enforcement" by MSc. Nguyen Van Bay (Intellectual Property Office). Dr. Tran Van Hai and MSc. Tran Diep Thanh (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) focused their discussion on the issue: "Intellectual property training in universities - from the experience of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities". The two authors emphasized that international experience in intellectual property enforcement shows that in countries with higher public awareness of intellectual property, the rate of intellectual property infringement is lower, and this is a driving force for socio-economic growth. There are many ways to raise public awareness about intellectual property, and intellectual property training in universities is a crucial channel. Recognizing the country's need for intellectual property, in 2003 the University of Social Sciences and Humanities completed and launched the Intellectual Property Law and Practice program, and in 2005 began training Bachelor of Science in Management specializing in Intellectual Property. Many other activities have also been undertaken: establishing a Department of Intellectual Property and proactively training lecturers, actively promoting intellectual property, etc. Furthermore, regarding intellectual property, the issues of copyright and related rights have also received considerable attention and numerous opinions have been expressed. On this matter, Dr. Nguyen Thi Que Anh (Faculty of Law, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) particularly emphasized the role of the State in enforcing copyright and related rights. According to the expert, state management and regulatory tools need to be thoroughly and effectively exploited to build a solid foundation for the exploitation of intellectual property assets. This conference has contributed to clarifying the issue of intellectual property rights enforcement, not only to meet international standards but also to help Vietnam promote the development of domestic science and technology, creating a more favorable environment to attract more investors.