Tilleke & Gibbins is pleased to announce the addition of Sarah Galeski to the firm’s corporate and commercial team in Ho Chi Minh City, in the role of counsel. With over 12 years of professional legal experience, including almost eight in Vietnam, Sarah focuses primarily on matters of employment and labor law, as well as compliance and dispute resolution. Sarah was previously the associate director of KPMG Legal in Ho Chi Minh City, and an associate with Baker & McKenzie. A native of Canada, where she is a licensed barrister and solicitor, Sarah began her legal career with Fraser Milner Casgrain in Vancouver (now Dentons Canada) before moving to Vietnam. In Vietnam, Sarah has been actively involved with the European Chamber of Commerce, serving terms as Co-Chair of the Human Resources & Training Sector Committee and as a member of EuroCham’s Executive Committee.

On February 12, 2021, Noppramart Thammateeradaycho, a counsel in Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution department, will be a guest speaker in a webinar titled “Revisiting the Arbitrator’s Duty of Disclosure: Thailand’s Perspective.” This webinar will give attendees the chance to learn more about how disclosure rules for arbitrators in Thailand function in practice, and how these obligations support the viability and fairness of arbitration in the country. In the webinar, which is part of a series from the Centre for International Dispute Resolution, Noppramart will share insights gained from her extensive international arbitration experience in Thailand and the region. She will be joined by two other guest speakers—Desmond Hughes, a partner at Hughes Krupica and vice-chairman of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in Thailand, and Dr. Roland Amoussou-Guenou, a partner at Vovan & Associés and president of the Asia Africa Foundation—as well as moderator Nicky Balani, a consultant at SCL Nishimura. For more information, please see the webinar event page on Facebook.

On February 4, 2021, partner Linh Thi Mai Nguyen, the head of Tilleke & Gibbins’ Vietnam trademark group, joined a panel of experts at a “Flash Briefing” webinar organized by the International Trademark Association (INTA) to discuss the proposed amendments to Vietnam’s Intellectual Property Law. Linh, a member of INTA’s Trademark Office Practices Committee, spoke primarily about the changes to Vietnam’s trademark office practice under the amended IP Law, which is currently in draft form and is expected to be issued later this year. This was the first Flash Briefing ever staged by INTA. The format is designed to provide quick online updates on timely issues for brand owners around the world.

Doing business in the emerging markets of Southeast Asia can often be frustrated by seemingly loose protections afforded to intellectual property (IP) rights, and the proliferation of counterfeit goods. In response to this, the governments of Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar have taken great steps in recent years to protect these valuable commercial assets, strengthen IP laws, and build robust legal regimes for the registration, protection, and enforcement of IP rights. Although these legal frameworks are still developing, the current measures available are sufficient for many savvy companies to register and protect their IP rights and prevent the spread of harmful counterfeit products. To help companies navigate these measures, Tilleke & Gibbins’ IP team, in collaboration with the Australian Chambers of Commerce in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, will be hosting a webinar entitled, “Intellectual Property in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar” on Tuesday, February 02, starting at 10:00 a.m. (ICT) / 9:30 a.m. (MMT). This webinar will form part of a broader Legal Webinar Series on key legal topics for businesses that will take place throughout 2021. Chandavya Ing andDavid Mol, Advisors in Tilleke & Gibbins’ Cambodia office; Dino Santaniello, Head of Tilleke & Gibbins’ Laos Office; and Yuwadee Thean–ngarm, Director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ Myanmar office, will present an overview of the IP laws of Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, identify the measures available to companies seeking to protect their trademarks and other IP assets, and discuss some real-world case studies of successful IP enforcement in the region. The session will also include a Q&A session, where attendees will be able to put their questions to Tilleke & Gibbins’ IP teams in Phnom Penh, Vientiane, and Yangon. To register for this free-to-attend event, please complete this registration form. Should you have any queries, please email [email protected].