Vietnam officially joined the WIPO Treaty on Copyright
At the Headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland, Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Head of the Permanent Representative of Vietnam Delegation in Geneva, recently handed over the deposit of Vietnam’s accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) to WIPO Director-General Daren Tang, the Depositary under the Treaty.
The WCT Treaty is a special treaty under the Berne Convention that deals with the protection of works and their copyright in the digital environment.
The WCT Treaty deals with two important objects that should be protected by copyright, namely, computer programs created in any form of expression, and databases of any kind, as long as the selection or arrangement of database content is intellectually creative.
WIPO General Director Daren Tang warmly congratulated Vietnam on joining the WCT Treaty and expressed his wish to continue working closely with Vietnam in the coming time.
Furthermore, Mr. Tang also emphasized that this accession is especially important for Vietnam, for this country has long had high growth potential for creative and cultural industries.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai stated: “Vietnam’s accession to the WCT Treaty is not only to meet Vietnam’s commitments in new-generation free trade agreements that this country has recently participated in, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) but also to create an effective legal foundation to protect works and copyrights in the digital environment. The WCT Treaty is especially useful for developing the software industry and digital platforms that Vietnam is focusing on promoting.”
According to Article 21 of the WCT Treaty, the provisions of the Treaty will officially take effect for Vietnam three months after the date the document is handed over to the Director-General of WIPO.
Compliance and implementation of this Treaty benefit all countries, regardless of their stage of development.
This treaty provides important economic momentum for individuals and companies to innovate in the digital environment, as well as providing a substantial legal basis for healthy e-commerce, which is vital to sustaining national copyright industries, attracting investment, and protecting creativity in the country.
This treaty currently has 110 member states.
Expert opinions
Loc Xuan Le, partner and head of IP enforcement at Tilleke & Gibbins in Hanoi stated about Vietnam’s ascension to the WIPO Copyright Treaty: “In my opinion, Vietnam’s Law on Intellectual Property has already covered and satisfied WCT’s requirements, so the accession to WCT is just us acting on our commitment when we joined the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. By joining WCT, Vietnam ensures that we shall provide IP rights protection at international standards, which I believe is crucial in developing Vietnam as an attractive business destination for foreign investors.”
Le further added: “On the other hand, Vietnam has a strong and growing community of artists who generate content on the Internet daily, so the official accession of Vietnam to WCT shall provide solid legal grounds to protect Vietnamese creators in the digital era. This, in return, shall act as an incentive to promote the creative sector.”
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– You could visit here to see the Trademark Registration in Vietnam.
– You can also check the Vietnam Trademark Law: Detailed Guide And Legal Notes.
– You could check Questions of filing trademark in Vietnam: POA, Trademark requirement and trademark fee in Vietnam.
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