Article 115 of Vietnam’s IP Law prohibits any amendment of a mark in a pending application that “materially alters” the character of the original mark or expands its scope of protection. However, the question of what constitutes material alteration in Vietnam is not easily answered, as the law remains silent, and the interpretation of the National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) can vary depending on the department or the examiner.

Experts from Tilleke & Gibbins’ franchising practice have contributed the Vietnam chapter to International Franchising, Second Edition (Release 6), a guide to franchising law and practice in 36 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The firm also provided the chapter for Thailand.

Attorneys from Tilleke & Gibbins’ active franchising practice have coauthored the Thailand chapter of International Franchising, Second Edition (Release 6), a guide to franchising law and practice in 36 countries worldwide. The firm also wrote the chapter for Vietnam.

The Myanmar chapter of Global Guide 2018: Doing Business In…, a guide published by Practical Law in association with Lex Mundi, presents a comprehensive Q&A-style overview of doing business in Myanmar.

Decree No. 08/2018/ND-CP (“Decree 08”), issued by the Vietnamese government on January 15, 2018, and taking immediate effect, amends a number of existing decrees across a wide range of trade areas, with the aim of reducing administrative procedures for doing business. One area impacted by Decree 08 is e-commerce activities, which are governed by the Law on E-Transactions and its guiding Decree No.

On January 18, 2018, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Vietnam issued Circular No. 01/2018/TT-BYT (Circular 01) on the labeling of pharmaceuticals (referred to hereinafter as “drugs” for brevity). This circular will take effect from June 1, 2018, and will replace the current drug labeling regulations (Circular No. 06/2016/TT-BYT).

On January 11, 2018, the National Single Window system for declaration of chemicals to be imported into Vietnam was officially launched. In its first week, this system was used and accessed by several major chemical companies who observed that the system was of very high quality, helping to complete the chemical declaration within a very short time. This extreme improvement comes on the heels of a new decree on chemical management in Vietnam.

The Vietnam electronics sector is exhibiting strong growth and accounts for over 24% of the nation’s GDP, fueled by strong domestic consumption, exports by foreign-invested enterprises, and increased research and development.