Over the last 20 years, since the U.S. and Vietnam reestablished diplomatic relations in 1994, IPR enforcement has made great strides. The improvements can be attributed to legislative reforms introduced when Vietnam joined the WTO in 2006, and increased efforts to enforce the laws on the books as the Vietnamese economy seeks to attract higher quality types of investment that depend on strong IPR protection. Vietnam is now in the midst of negotiations with the EC in regard to a potential FTA and with the United States in regard to TPP.

The free flow of investment is a key component of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Higher levels of investment between ASEAN member states will increase the likelihood of disputes arising between private investors and governments. In response, the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA), a multilateral treaty that provides the legal foundation for the AEC’s liberalized investment regime, establishes an investor-state dispute resolution mechanism (ISDR mechanism).

Earlier this month, the cabinet approved a series of bills related to information technology, personal data, cybersecurity, and telecommunications. One such bill would recast the Information and Communication Technology Ministry as the Digital Economy and Information Technology Ministry to reflect the importance of IT in Thailand’s economy—the same rationale behind the entire set of bills. This article focuses on one of these bills, the Cybersecurity Bill.

After a long period of tightening control and a temporary suspension of licensing of online games in Vietnam, the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) has put forward a new Circular on online games which has been greatly anticipated by the gaming industry. This new Circular was issued on December 29, 2014, and will enter into effect on February 12, 2015.

Jim Dao and Tu Ngoc Trinh, registered foreign attorney and attorney-at-law of the Tilleke & Gibbins corporate and commercial group in Vietnam, have coauthored the Vietnam chapter of The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Franchise 2015  (1st edition), a Q&A-style guide that provides a practical, cross-border overview of franchising law in 24 jurisdictions worldwide. The Vietnam chapter, which serves as a vital tool for franchisors and franchisees operating in the country, covers the following subjects in detail:

The 2014/15 edition of Practical Law Company’s multi-jurisdictional guide to Corporate Real Estate, presented in a Q&A format, provides an overview of corporate real estate in 26 jurisdictions worldwide. The Vietnam chapter of the guide, written by Vinh Quoc Nguyen, an attorney-at-law in Tilleke & Gibbins’ Vietnam corporate and commercial group, covers the following subjects:

Getting the Deal Through – Real Estate 2015, a guide to real estate in 25 jurisdictions around the world, has been published. The Thailand chapter of the guide, coauthored by Cynthia M. Pornavalai and Ahmet Yesilkaya, partner and consultant in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group, provides a comprehensive overview of real estate ownership and investment in Thailand. In particular, the chapter covers the following subjects:

New amendments to the Civil and Commercial Code will change the way loan guarantees are enforced in Thailand. Under the changes, which are due to take effect on February 11, guarantors will benefit from increased protection, as contracts imposing joint liability between a debtor and a guarantor will be void.This change would, at first glance, appear to suggest that creditors will be forced to pursue debtors before pursuing guarantors. In reality, however, creditors will still have options to pursue guarantors before debtors under the new law.