# IP treaties Vietnam is party to Source: https://luatbanquyen.com/en/international-treaties International intellectual property conventions and agreements Vietnam has joined, with accession dates and subject matter. ## Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property The oldest treaty Vietnam joined in this field. Its most practical effect is the priority right: file in one member state, then file elsewhere within 12 months (patents) or 6 months (trademarks, designs) and keep your original filing date. - **Scope:** Patents, trademarks, industrial designs, trade names, unfair competition - **Effective:** 1949-03-08 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks The older component of the Madrid System; most international filings today use the Protocol. - **Scope:** International trademark registration - **Effective:** 1949-03-08 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Lets you file a single international application holding your place in over 150 countries, with up to 30–31 months from the priority date to decide which national phases to enter. It is the key instrument for buying time when target markets are still uncertain. - **Scope:** International patent filing - **Effective:** 1993-03-10 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works The single most important treaty for Vietnamese creators. Berne's automatic-protection principle is why your work is protected in nearly 180 countries without registering anywhere — and equally why you cannot freely use foreign works. - **Scope:** Copyright - **Effective:** 2004-10-26 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication Aimed squarely at unauthorised duplication of recordings. - **Scope:** Related rights — phonograms - **Effective:** 2005-07-06 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Brussels Convention Relating to the Distribution of Programme-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite The basis for acting against unauthorised interception and retransmission of satellite signals. - **Scope:** Related rights — satellite signals - **Effective:** 2006-01-12 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks Lets a Vietnamese business file one application through the IP Office to seek trademark protection across many member states instead of filing country by country. - **Scope:** International trademark registration - **Effective:** 2006-07-11 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) The international framework for breeders' rights, underpinning the plant variety chapter of the IP Law. - **Scope:** Plant variety rights - **Effective:** 2006-12-24 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations The international foundation of Vietnam's related-rights regime. - **Scope:** Related rights - **Effective:** 2007-03-01 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Entered into force with Vietnam's WTO accession. TRIPS sets minimum standards for both the substance of rights and their enforcement — most of the civil, administrative, criminal and border-control provisions in the IP Law trace back to it. - **Scope:** All fields of intellectual property - **Effective:** 2007-01-11 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (Geneva Act) The design equivalent of the Madrid System: one international application in place of many national ones. Vietnam only joined in late 2019, so few businesses use it yet. - **Scope:** International registration of industrial designs - **Effective:** 2019-12-30 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure Allows a single deposit of a microorganism at one international depositary authority to be recognised by all member states — important for pharmaceutical and biotech patent filings. - **Scope:** Patents in biotechnology - **Effective:** 2021-06-01 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) One of WIPO's two "internet treaties". It internationalised the right of communication to the public over networks and the duty to protect technological measures. Vietnam's 2022 accession directly drove several amendments in the 2022 IP Law. - **Scope:** Copyright in the digital environment - **Effective:** 2022-02-17 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) The second internet treaty, covering performers and phonogram producers. It is the international basis for collecting royalties when recordings are streamed. - **Scope:** Related rights in the digital environment - **Effective:** 2022-07-01 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) ## Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind or Print Disabled Permits converting works into accessible formats (braille, audio) without the rights holder's permission, and allows cross-border exchange of those copies. It is one of the rare copyright exceptions designed for a human-rights purpose. - **Scope:** Copyright exceptions for accessibility - **Effective:** 2023-03-06 - **Full text:** [https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN) --- Reference material only; it does not replace legal advice on a specific matter.