The Vietnamese Government recently released Decree No. 55/2013/ND-CP detailing the conditions for labor outsourcing. While labor outsourcing previously existed in practice, it had been technically illegal until legislation relating to it was introduced for the first time by the new Labor Code (effective since May 1, 2013).Not all types of work may be outsourced. Pursuant to the guiding Decree, labor outsourcing is restricted to the following types of work:

This Compliance Complete country profile looks at Thailand, which traditionally has had a reputation as a “crossroads” for numerous illegal activities and of the laundering of significant sums of tainted money.Member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)? No.Any Egmont members? Yes. Thailand’s Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is a member of the Egmont Group.The offense

On May 1, 2013, the new Labor Code (Law 10-2012-QH13 of June 18, 2012) entered into force. This legal update highlights four important changes to the Vietnamese labor laws, introduced by the new Labor Code.Working Hours

International headlines recently focused on a dramatic case of regulatory enforcement against an online pharmacy. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that a 33-year-old Thai woman was running a company with the website www.eDrugnet.com, along with at least 30 other affiliated websites. These sites sold drugs without prescriptions, despite the fact that prescriptions were required in the purchasers’ country. These e-pharmacy websites were hosted in Thailand and shipped drugs to the United States.

Almost everyone nowadays is familiar with the words “intellectual property” and “patents.” This is largely because intellectual property (IP) is a vitally important part of developing and maintaining a profitable business.Having recognized the importance of IP protection, you also need to understand the types of protection you can obtain and the benefits of each. There are several types of IP—including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets—each of which offers different legal rights and protections.

The importance of protecting and enforcing your intellectual property (IP) rights can never be stressed enough. Without taking precautions, your business’s intellectual assets are more vulnerable to the threats of piracy, counterfeiting, and theft. Not only does this damage the growth and development of your business, but it poses serious health and safety risks to the public. Therefore, it is extremely important for business owners to be aware of the specific IP issues in every country in which they operate.

Pharmaceutical marketing is the term used to describe the business of promoting the sale of drugs or medicine. Due to the nature of pharmaceuticals and the potential impact that marketing could have on both patients and the health care profession, many countries have restrictions in place that limit advertising by pharmaceutical companies. One country that heavily regulates such practices is Vietnam; not only does it regulate advertisements in general, but it has a number of laws that specifically target advertisements in the health care sector.

In Thailand, individuals or entities that are eligible to hold ownership of land under the Land Code can acquire it by means of purchase, hire-purchase, gift, or inheritance. But there is one more way to obtain ownership of landed property, which does not require consent from the previous owner: adverse possession, colloquially known as “squatters’ rights.”