On November 20, 2019, the National Assembly of Vietnam issued a revised version of the Labor Code, the primary legislation governing employment and employer-employee relationships in Vietnam. The new Labor Code will take effect on January 1, 2021, replacing the current Labor Code of 2012.The new Labor Code introduces a number of large and small changes, with the general intention being to address shortcomings and clarify unclear provisions of the current law, and bring Vietnam’s labor law more in line with international standards.

At the end of June 2019, Taylor Swift took to social media to express her dismay over the purchaser of her former label who now owns the rights to her master recordings. While it is common for artists to not own their master recordings, fans were surprised to learn that one of the world’s biggest pop stars had few legal grounds to dictate who controls her master recordings.

As one of the most valuable assets of a successful business, a trademark is increasingly recognized as an important intellectual property right to be protected against potential infringers. This has led to a growing number of disputes in Thailand, as the increased recognition of marks inevitably leads to claims of overlapping rights. Normally, trademark-related disputes concern the issue of which party has the better right to a trademark—especially when opposing parties’ trademarks are identical or confusingly similar.

The Indonesian Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) officially launched the new and mandatory e-filing system on August 17, 2019. Because of the e-filing system, it is now not possible to file IP applications manually through the filing counter at the DGIP. All new IP applications must be filed online.

One of our clients, a leading European manufacturer of automotive brake systems for high-performance cars and motorcycles, was plagued by counterfeiting problems in Thailand, substantially affecting their business in the jurisdiction. The client is well-recognized by consumers worldwide, including in Thailand, and once a brand has achieved a high recognition factor among consumers, there are always copycats in the market that will try to use the brand’s well-recognized reputation to deceive consumers and gain profits from poor-quality imitations.    

Intellectual property (IP) protection and the awareness of intellectual property rights (IPRs) in Laos have been increasing recently due to the support of the Lao government, which expressly recognizes the importance of IP to the country’s ambitions for modernization, industrialization, and developing the country’s regional and global status. Such attitudes are reflected in policy statements and strategic planning goals, and local authorities are growing more supportive toward the enforcement of IPRs in Laos.

WIPO’s Madrid System, which provides an alternative to filing trademark applications through the traditional national route, has been an option for global brand owners seeking trademark protection in Thailand since November 7, 2017. As of October 2019, more than 15,000 international registrations (IRs) designating Thailand have been filed and processed at the International Bureau, which suggests a positive reception of the system by brand owners.