The practice of business operators taking advantage of Lao consumers has always concerned Lao authorities, especially because the application of the country’s consumer protection regulatory framework has been restricted and unfamiliar to the country’s civil society. For example, the main piece of legislation, the Law on Consumer Protection no. 02/NA, dated June 30, 2010, enunciates a series of broad principles that are too general to be implemented effectively. Moreover, Laos has no independent entity to assist the country’s consumers in making informed decisions, namely by advising them on local operators’ malpractices and defective products that may endanger their health. Under Lao law, the powers delegated to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) and the Internal Trade Department are limited to administering consumer protection measures, such as controlling the price of products below the government’s price ceiling (e.g., for daily commodities, such as pork and traditional soups) and ensuring that products and services observe the country’s minimum safety standards. In practice, selected ministries have also overseen such measures for products under their respective areas of expertise; for example, the Ministry of Health monitors complaints related to medicinal products and pharmaceuticals. For this reason, the Lao authorities have been leading consultations to fill the legal vacuum and better promote consumer protection measures in the country. From these consultations to revamp and enhance the consumer protection legal framework, in mid-2020 the authorities issued recommendations that provide a legal framework for the establishment of consumer protection associations. This guidance was outlined in the Recommendations Concerning the Establishment and Operation of Consumer Protection Associations no. 0707/MOIC, dated July 30, 2020, which were published in the official gazette of the Ministry of Justice on August 3, 2020. Authority of Consumer Protection Associations The recommendations were issued to elaborate on the scope of consumer protection

On December 15, 2020, Thailand’s Revenue Department (RD) announced a further extension for e-tax filing and payment until January 31, 2024. The RD’s announcement is meant to support the government’s Thailand 4.0 policy by encouraging use of the online system for filing and paying taxes. The RD has been promoting the use of e-tax filing and payment since 2012 by granting eight-day extensions to anyone who submits online, rather than using traditional paper filing. Initially, this eight-day extension program was due to expire on January 31, 2021, but the RD has now further extended it for another three years, until January 31, 2024. Tax Filing and Payment Schedule for Eligible Tax Returns * Notification of the Ministry of Finance Re: Extension of Period for Tax Return Filing and Tax Payment via Internet System (No.3) dated December 15, 2020. It should be noted that tax returns and supplemental tax returns must be submitted via the e-filing system to qualify for the eight-day extension. If a taxpayer has submitted their tax return in paper form, they will not be entitled to the extension even if they resubmit via e-filing system. The reverse is also true—a tax payer who submits via the e-filing system, and resubmits in paper form, will not be eligible for the eight-day extension. For personal income tax payments set up as three instalments, the first instalment can be paid together with the e-filing and that tax payment is also entitled to eight-day extension.  The second instalment can be paid within one month after the extended due date of the first instalment, and the third instalment can be paid within one month after the due date for the second instalment. For more information about these tax filing extensions, or any aspect of tax law in Thailand, please contact Varapa

John McCarthy, an American computer scientist and inventor, coined the term “artificial intelligence” (AI) in 1956, and is often called the father of artificial intelligence. Now, nearly a half century later, legal professionals recognize that AI is not just a buzzword for novel computer software but, with the ability of computers to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, it holds great potential for technology growth. The term AI followed from research that studied and developed concepts around “thinking machines.” Today, AI is generally accepted as a branch of computer science. It concerns the ability of computers to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence. Subsets of AI include machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and neural networking. Existing Use of AI in Legal Research So far, the legal profession’s utilization of AI pales in comparison to other sectors, according to a 2019 management consultancy study by Bain & Company. It found that only about 20 to 25 percent of legal departments embrace AI in at least one area of their work, while 40 percent of finance departments and 54 percent of human resources departments do so. A survey in 2017 (on research not associated with AI) by the American Bar Association found that attorneys spend, on average, 16.3 percent of their working hours conducting legal research. Despite the transition of legal research within the last century from using traditional hardcopy materials to computerized databases, to the adoption of online research within the past few decades, little has changed in the time investment, the survey said. With clients pressuring lawyers to reduce costs, leveraging AI to conduct legal research can save time and money. A 2018 article in the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology  exemplified this point in referencing a bankruptcy lawyer who spent 10 hours searching for a

A decade ago, intellectual property lawsuits were rarely handled by Vietnamese courts. They have become more common in recent years, but almost always with overseas IP owners in the plaintiff role, charging local Vietnamese entities with infringement, piracy, or counterfeiting. However, in the course of its rapid economic and technical development, Vietnam has emerged as a legitimate brand creator and content generator, and it appears that the tables may have turned. A good example of this shift is a high-profile copyright infringement lawsuit filed in mid-September at the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City by TV production company Vie Channel against the online streaming music giant Spotify. Vie Channel specializes in the design and development of game shows such as “Rap Viet” and “Who Is Single Vietnam,” popular programs on Vietnamese TV. The company has charged Spotify with extracting audio files from these shows—19 recordings from each—to broadcast on Spotify’s free and paid platforms without Vie Channel’s permission. Vie Channel sent several letters of notification to Spotify’s headquarters in Sweden before initiating the proceedings, and also clearly confirmed that there is no business relationship between Vie Channel and Spotify; therefore, these acts are deemed to infringe the protected moral rights and economic rights attached to the two programs. In its lawsuit, Vie Channel is requesting that Spotify terminate all acts of infringement and make a public apology, and is also seeking compensation for damages provisionally calculated at nearly VND 10 billion (USD 433,000), a massive amount in the context of Vietnam. The case presents many interesting legal issues to be settled by the court, such as the determination of the Vietnamese courts’ jurisdiction in lawsuits with foreign elements. Particularly, although the defendant in this case is “present” in Vietnam through its online music platforms, it has never been