Thailand’s Board of Investment has consolidated its definition of promoted business activities in the digital space, replacing promotions for e-commerce, digital services, and software, with a single category for “Development of software, platform for digital services, or digital content.”

A liquidated damages clause is a quick and straightforward way to determine the amount of compensation payable by a breaching party to the aggrieved party in the event of IP infringement or another contract violation. The enforceability of such a clause in Vietnam remains a controversial topic, but some recent IP-related cases may shed some light on the applicability of such provision.

Multilaw has published its new Global Data Protection Guide, which collects expert advice from Multilaw’s member firms in over 50 jurisdictions globally. The guide provides answers to key issues concerning the fast-developing data protection and privacy laws around the world, and helps data protection officers and in-house counsel understand how the regulatory regime for data protection can affect their organizations in various jurisdictions. Each section of the guide identifies the main laws that govern data protection in that jurisdiction, and gives a detailed overview of the legal principles in place as well as the enforcement authorities responsible for overseeing compliance. The guide also covers issues related to data subject rights, data protection officers, impact assessments, data breach notification requirements, and cross border data transfers. The use of personal data in marketing is also considered, with specific information on electronic marketing rules, cookies, and marketing to businesses and consumers. Multilaw is a global network of carefully selected, independent law firms consisting of over 10,000 commercial lawyers in more than 100 countries, able to provide expert legal advice in complex environments around the globe. The full guide is available for free on the Multilaw website.

タイ証券取引委員会 (SEC：Securities and Exchange Commission) は2021年9月15日、タイの中小企業(SMEs : small and medium enterprises)やスタートアップ企業が公募を通じて資金を調達できるようにする、新たなスキームの導入を発表しました。この新制度を実施するためのSECの規則は、2022年の第一四半期までには策定される予定です。 2019年以来、SECはタイの中小企業やスタートアップ企業に対して、私募やクラウドファンディングによる資金調達を認めてきました。SECの新スキームは、中小企業やスタートアップ企業が新しいタイプの株式公開 (いわゆる「SME-PO」) を通じてより大規模な資金調達を行うことを可能にします。証券取引委員会はまた、中小企業の株式の売買が行われる流通市場を設立する予定であるとも報道されています。 SECの新スキームの下では、SME-POを進めようとする中小企業やスタートアップ企業は、仏歴2535年公開会社法 （Public Company Act) に従って、投資家保護のメカニズムを備えた公開会社である必要があるとの情報もあります。 SECの代表者は以前、SME-POは通常の株式公開の承認プロセスではなく、関連情報の書類審査等、情報ベースのアプローチの対象となる可能性を示唆していました。ところが、9月15日の発表では、株式公開承認申請、独立したファイナンシャル・アドバイザーの選任、手数料などに関する要件をSECが緩和する可能性があることを指摘した上で、これを超えた要件緩和に関する詳細は述べておりません。 中小企業やスタートアップ企業の株式公開に対する投資家としては、機関投資家、プライベート・エクイティ・ファンド (Private Equity Fund)、ベンチャー・キャピタル、エンジェル投資家、中小企業の役員など、リスクに強く、資金力のある洗練された投資家が想定されます。 上述しております基準及びそれに関わる情報は今後、変更・修正される可能性があります。当事務所は中小企業・スタートアップ企業向けの規制の変更を引き続きフォローしてまいります。   備考：本和文は英文記事から作成しました。原文については、以下のリンクをご参照ください。Thailand’s SEC to Support Public Fundraising for SMEs and Startups

In response to the Covid-19 crisis, many courts around the world and specifically in Southeast Asia are strengthening their electronic filing systems and shifting to virtual hearings. Vietnam is following this trend and has committed to apply technological solutions to adopt an e-court system. While the Supreme Court of Vietnam established this objective before the outbreak of the pandemic in Directive No. 01/2020/CT-CA dated January 9, 2020, it has just proposed and submitted draft rules on online trials to the National Assembly in late September 2021. The Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam is now seeking the opinion and approval of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam before presenting the draft rules to the National Assembly for voting in their second meeting of the year in October 2021. If approved, it is expected that it will take some time for the rules on online trials to be adopted and implemented by the Vietnamese court system due to the need to upgrade the technology of the different court levels from the Supreme Court to lower-level courts. Training will also be required, so that judges, secretaries, and individuals working in the judiciary are equipped with sufficient IT knowledge in order to manage the system and hold the virtual court hearings effectively. Amid the pandemic, the need has arisen to proceed with temporarily suspended cases and to resume receiving petitions and other documents, especially in hard-hit areas that have been forced to refrain from opening any court meetings and hearings due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The situation needs to be resolved as soon as possible to effectively bring the cases to trial within the prescribed time limit, protect human rights and the legitimate rights and interests of the parties, stabilize social order and safety, and ensure safe

On September 15, 2021, Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a prospective new scheme that will enable small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups in Thailand to raise funds through public offerings. The SEC regulations to implement this new scheme are expected by the first quarter of 2022. Since 2019, the SEC has allowed SMEs and startups in Thailand to raise funds via private placements or crowdfunding. The new SEC scheme will allow SMEs and startups to raise funds on a larger scale via a new type of public offering (the so-called SME-PO). The SEC also plans to establish the “SME Board,” a secondary market for trading the stocks of SMEs. Under the new SEC scheme, SMEs and startups that wish to proceed with an SME-PO must be structured as public companies with investor protection mechanisms in accordance with the Public Company Act B.E. 2535 (1992). Although SEC representatives have previously indicated that SME-POs would be subject to an information-based approach instead of the normal approval process for public offerings, the September 15 announcement does not detail this further, beyond noting that the SEC may deem it appropriate in future to relax certain requirements such as filing for approval, appointment of an independent financial advisor, and fees. Investors in public offerings for SMEs and startups must be sophisticated investors who are risk-tolerant and well capitalized, such as institutional investors, private equity or venture capital firms, angel investors, or an SMEs’ own directors, employees, or affiliates. Tilleke & Gibbins will continue to follow the development of regulations for SME-POs, as the rules and criteria described here are still subject to change. For more information on fundraising alternatives for SMEs and startups, or on any aspect of capital markets regulations in Thailand, please contact Onunya Chanpen at [email protected] or Kobkit Thienpreecha at [email protected].

As the Covid-19 situation in Vietnam has not improved since the beginning of August 2021, the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (IP Office) has issued Notice No. 8181/TB-SHTT dated September 9, 2021 (Notice 8181), providing a further two-month extension for IP deadlines. The contents of Notice 8181 are similar to those found in notices issued in March 2020 and August 2021. One notable difference is the addition of the term “such as” (“như”  in Vietnamese) to the list of IP procedures eligible for the extension, implying that this is now an open list: All procedures related to the establishment of industrial property rights (such as priority claims, supplementation of documents, responses to the IP Office’s decisions/notifications, annuities, renewal of the validity of protection titles, payment of fees and charges, and filing of appeal petitions) falling due during the period from June 30, 2021, to the end of October 31, 2021, will automatically be extended to the end of November 30, 2021. For other cases, if an applicant is still affected by the Covid-19 epidemic with regard to the implementation of its rights and obligations in the procedures for establishing rights to industrial property objects at the IP Office, such applicant may request [the IP Office] to apply the clauses on objective obstacles and force majeure as set out in Points 9.4 and 9.5 of Circular No. 01/2007/TT-BKHCN, as amended and supplemented by Circular No. 16/2016/TT-BKHCN. It is our interpretation from Notice 8181 that procedures related to the establishment of industrial property rights that are not specifically listed in the notice, such as IP filings and substantive examination requests, will also benefit from the new extension. However, there has not been any official explanation from the IP Office.

Businesses in Vietnam recognize the need to vaccinate their workers in order to keep their factories and workplaces open. In this article, we explore whether employers may require their employees to be vaccinated, as well as associated disclosure and privacy issues under Vietnamese law.