Roundtable Discussion on IPR and Innovation in Hanoi

The US Embassy in Hanoi, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the American Chamber of Commerce recently co-hosted a collaborative discussion on Intellectual Property and Innovation.

 

US Ambassador to Vietnam David Shear emphasized IPR’s critical role in innovation during his opening remarks, “Our partnership with the Ministry of Science and Technology, the American Chamber of Commerce and US companies today demonstrates that the protection of intellectual property matters to everyone – to government, to business, and to industry. The 21^st century economy is driven by ideas. We must protect intellectual property—that is, people’s ideas and inventions—and foster an environment which will encourage more innovations to take root and grow.”

 

Vice Minister of Science and technology, Chu Ngoc Anh, noted, “Effective IPR protection and enforcement will promote innovation in research and business communities. On the other hand, innovation promotion policies and a sound competitive environment will promote the creation of new intellectual properties contributing to improving the competitiveness of domestic products and assisting domestic companies to participate in the global value chain of technology products.”

 

According to AmCham Chair Hank Tomlinson, policies and practices regarding protection of intellectual property rights in Vietnam are a legitimate and key concern for US companies already or wishing to do business with Vietnam. AmCham members support the government's goal of creating a business climate that rewards innovation and entrepreneurship.