On December 24, 2008, Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communication issued long-awaited regulations which set forth three specific means of dispute resolution for domain names under the “.vn” domain.

In Caltex Oil (Thailand) Co, Ltd v. Andaman Oil Pte Ltd, the Supreme Court ruled that a trademark license agreement is a type of reciprocal agreement, and, in case it is not registered, only the terms and conditions for use of trademarks or service marks are invalid.

The Securities and Exchange Act 1992 was recently amended. The updated legislation sets forth changes to three important areas of securities laws: reorganization of the structure of the Securities and Exchange Commission, creation of supportive mechanisms for more effective enforcement of securities laws, and enhancement of mechanisms related to investor protection and transparency. This last area is the main focus of this article.

Within the past two years, Thailand has experienced a number of events that have called into question the country’s political stability. In this article, David Lyman puts these events into historical perspective by looking back on the path that has led to the current situation. This article provides a thorough overview of Thailand’s recent history and explains many of the driving factors underlying the political instability of 2008. The article concludes that there is reason for optimism about Thailand’s future, with progressive development likely to return to the country.

Marriages between Thais and foreigners are becoming increasingly common. When these marriages fail, resulting in one or both parties wishing to divorce, many cross jurisdictional issues have to be considered, including location of marital assets and child custody issues. The foreign party may expect that divorce options may be similar to those in their own country, and may be surprised to find that there are distinct differences compared to other jurisdictions. This article examines the options for divorcing in Thailand where one party is a Thai national.

In 2008, the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam passed Resolution 19/2008/QH12 (“Resolution 19”), a five-year pilot legislation which permits foreign organizations and individuals to purchase and own condominiums in Vietnam. A qualified foreign individual may only purchase one condominium for his or her private residential use. Resolution 19 does not allow foreign individuals to own stand-alone residential units. As a follow-up to Resolution 19, the Government issued implementation guidelines in June 2009 with Decree 51/2009/ND-CP.

On November 23, 2009, Vietnam’s National Assembly passed the Law on Telecommunications, which will enter into effect on July 1, 2010, replacing the Ordinance on Post and Telecommunication dated May 23, 2003. The Law on Telecommunications governs telecommunications activities relating to investment and business in the telecommunications sector. This article examines the definition of “telecommunications services” under the law, the competition issues addressed by the law, and the effect of the law on assignment of domain names.

The franchise business model is widespread in Thailand in many fields, such as clothing retailers (Zara and The Gap), fast food outlets (McDonald’s and KFC), and convenience stores (7-Eleven and Family Mart). This level of popularity can be attributed to the fact that franchising allows the franchisor to promote a successful business model or product in other geographical areas, while many of the risks are borne by the franchisee.