Speaking at the opening ceremony, Markus Cornaro, Ambassador and head of the European Commission delegation to Vietnam affirmed that in 2006 Vietnam accomplished important steps towards complying with international standards on intellectual property. It also showed its effort in implementing the new Intellectual Property Law, enacting by-law documents as well as joining important international conventions such as the Madrid Protocol and the UPOV Convention.”

The EC-ASEAN Intellectual Property Rights Co-operation Programme (ECAP II) equips other Vietnamese IP agencies with some computers to facilitate their IP administration. These beneficiaries included the Supreme People’s Court, the Market Control Department, the Ministry of Science & Technology, the Copyright Office of Vietnam, the Economic Police and Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology.

The equipment will enable IP agencies to organise in-house trainings, seminars and workshops for their officials.  Through modern IP equipment, NOIP and other IP agencies will find it easier to access international IP databases and help them tackle IP searching and examinations, aimed at reducing IP certificate granting time.