Infringement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) continues to be a major area of concern for international brand owners operating in Vietnam. In their fight against fake goods in the country, IPR holders often need to carry out administrative raids which can be very effective in suppressing counterfeit products, but are also fraught with potential hurdles. IPR holders therefore need to carefully plan their raid actions to minimize risk and maximize the suppression effect in the market. The following tips provide the basis for carrying out effective raid actions in Vietnam.

Just last month, artificial blood vessels were made on a 3-D printer at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. One of the largest manufacturers and distributors of 3-D printers, Stratasys, has seen profits and demand climb since last year, and local companies such as AppliCAD are already profiting from sales in Thailand.

On June 18, 2012, the National Assembly of Vietnam adopted a new Labor Code which will take effect on May 1, 2013. One of the most notable issues of the new Labor Code is a provision allowing for the sublease of employees—a practice that is commonly known as labor outsourcing in other jurisdictions.This is indeed good news for foreign investors involved in the manufacturing and construction sectors, as the nature of their business often requires seasonal workers who can provide services for a short period of time to help meet project deadlines.

You are preparing a slide presentation for a speech or an internal company meeting and want to use some photos you found on a Google Images search in your slides. Is it necessary to ask permission for all the photos you want to use? If you really want to use them and are willing to give credit, what form should this take for your use to be deemed sufficiently appropriate and legitimate?

For two thought-provoking days—May 31 to June 1, 2012—Bangkok played host to the 21st World Economic Forum on East Asia, a first for Thailand. The arrangements for the event, which was staged at the swank Shangri-la Hotel on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, were made in early 2011 at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, by former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, whose unexplained absence from the event here was duly noted. Thai politics are not to be trifled with.

The increase in online shopping has proven lucrative for legitimate retailers. But traders selling counterfeit and pirated products have also taken advantage by selling a wide range of counterfeit products online. In searching for new solutions to battle intellectual property infringement on the internet, recent meetings between government officials and members of the private sector have resulted in an innovative approach that relies on existing legislation.

After a seven-year wait, it seems that Thailand’s accession to the Madrid System will indeed be possible by 2014. The responsible committees have made great progress on the proposed amendments to the Trademark Act, having completed the draft amendments in relation to the Madrid system in June 2012. The proposed amendments will now be forwarded to the Council of State for review. They will then go forward to the Cabinet, the Parliament, and the Senate for approval.

Development of public infrastructure has been increasing in line with Thailand’s economic growth, and the private sector has played an important role in this regard. However, the existing law governing Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) is somewhat unclear and unsuitable for the current economic climate.