The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) came into effect in Vietnam on January 14, 2019, with some of its provisions on intellectual property taking effect immediately. (Under the Vietnamese legal system, when the provisions of international treaties such as the CPTPP differ from national law, the international provisions will apply.)

On February 5, 2019, Notification of the Board of Special Cases (No. 7) B.E. 2562 (2019) was put into effect, establishing new conditions for intellectual property (IP) owners who wish to bring legal action before the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). The notification is intended to clearly separate the jurisdictions of the police and the DSI.

Last year, Indonesia’s Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) announced a six-month deadline for all patent holders to settle their unpaid annuities, with those who failed to meet the deadline facing potential refusal of any future applications that they might make. In a recent announcement, the DGIP extended that deadline by an additional six months—from February 16, 2019, to August 17, 2019.

On January 30, 2019, Myanmar’s long-awaited Industrial Design Law—the first legislation specifically addressing the protection of industrial designs in the jurisdiction’s history—was passed into law.The law lays out a comprehensive framework for the protection of rights over the external visual design of objects (i.e. the aesthetic design, rather than the practical). It will be implemented through administrative bodies (particularly the Intellectual Property Office) and enabling legislation that will be established and implemented in due course.Overview