IP/N/1/VNM/O/13  
 
16 October 2013  
(13-5673)  Page: 1/5  
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights  Original: English/anglais/inglés  
 
NOTIFICATION OF OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWS AND REGULATIONS  
UNDER ARTICLE 63.2 OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT 
VIET NAM 
This document reproduces the text1 of the unofficial translation of Circular No. 04/2012/TT-BKHCN 
amending and supplementing a number of provisions of Circular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN of 
February 25, 2008 on the withdrawal of industrial property assessor cards and certificates for industrial property assessment organizations as amended and supplemented by Circular 
No. 04/2009/TT-BKHCN of March 27, 2009, and Circ ular No. 18/2011/TT-BKHCN of July 22, 2011, 
as notified by Viet Nam on 14 August 2013 under Article 63.2 of the Agreement (see document 
IP/N/1/VNM/5). 
 
Conseil des aspects des droits de propriété 
intellectuelle qui touchent au commerce 
AUTRES LOIS ET RÉGLEMENTATIONS CONSACRÉES À LA PROPRIÉTÉ  
INTELLECTUELLE NOTIFIÉES AU TITRE DE L'ARTICLE 63:2 DE L'ACCORD 
VIET NAM 
Le présent document contient le texte1 d e  l a  t r a d u c t i o n  n o n  o f f i c i e l l e  d e  l a  C i r c u l a i r e  
n° 04/2012/TT-BKHCN modifiant et complétant certaines dispositions de la Circulaire 
n° 01/2008/TT-BKHCN du 25 février 2008 concernant le retrait des cartes d'évaluateur de la propriété industrielle et des certificats destinés aux organismes d'évaluation de la propriété 
industrielle, modifiée et complétée par la Circulaire n° 04/2009/TT-BKHCN du 27 mars 2009 et par 
la Circulaire n° 18/2011/TT-BKHCN du 22 juillet 2011, notifié par le Viet Nam le 14 août 2013 au titre de l'article 63:2 de l'Accord (voir le document IP/N/1/VNM/5). 
 
Consejo de los Aspectos de los Derechos de Propiedad 
Intelectual relacionados con el Comercio 
OTRAS LEYES Y REGLAMENTOS DEDICADOS A LA PROPIEDAD INTELECTUAL  
NOTIFICADOS EN VIRTUD DEL PÁRRAFO 2 DEL ARTÍCULO 63 DEL ACUERDO 
VIET NAM 
En el presente documento se reproduce el texto1 de la traducción no oficial de la Circular 
Nº 04/2012/TT-BKHCN que modifica y complementa varias disposiciones de la Circular 
Nº 01/2008/TT-BKHCN, de 25 de febrero de 2008, so bre la revocación de la tarjeta de evaluador 
de la propiedad industrial y del certificado de organización de evaluación de la propiedad industrial, 
modificada y complementada por la circular Nº 04/2009/ TT-BKHCN, de 27 de marzo de 2009, y la 
Circular Nº 18/2011/TT-BKHCN, de 22 de julio de 2011, notificado por Viet Nam el 14 de agosto de 2013 en virtud de lo dispuesto en el párrafo 2 del artículo 63 del Acuerdo (véase el documento IP/N/1/VNM/5). 
                                               
1 In English only./En anglais seulement./En inglés solamente. IP/N/1/VNM/O/13 
 
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MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND 
TECHNOLOGY 
 
No. 04/2012/TT-BKHCN THE SOCIALIST REPUBL IC OF VIET NAM 
Independence – Freedom – Happiness 
 
   Hanoi, 13 February 2012 
 
CIRCULAR 
Amending and supplementing a number of provisions of Circular No. 01/2008/TT-
BKHCN of February 25, 2008 on the withdrawal  of industrial property assessor cards 
and certificates for industrial property assessment organizations as amended and 
supplemented by Circular No. 04/2009/TT-BK HCN of March 27, 2009, and Circular 
No. 18/2011/TT-BKHCN of July 22, 2011 
_______________ 
 
Pursuant to the Intellectual Property La w No. 50/2005/QH11 of November 29, 2005 and 
Law No. 36/2009/QH12 of June 19, 2009 amending  and supplementing some articles of the 
Intellectual Property Law of November 29, 2005 (hereinafter referred to as " Intellectual Property 
Law"); 
 
Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 105/2006/ND-CP of September 22, 2006 on 
detailing and guiding some articles of the Intellect ual Property Law on intellectual property rights 
protection and the state management of intell ectual property; and the Government's Decree 
No. 119/2010/ND-CP of December 30, 2010 on amen ding and supplementing some articles of 
Decree No. 105/2006/ND-CP (hereinafter referred to as " the amended Decree No. 105/2006/ND-
CP"); 
 
Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 28/2008/ND-CP of March 14, 2008 on defining 
the functions, tasks, powers and organization al structure of the Ministry of Science and 
Technology; 
 
Minister of Science and Technology amends an d supplements some provisions of Circular 
No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN of February 25, 2008, on guid ing the withdrawal of industrial property 
assessor cards and certificates for industrial property assessment organizations as amended and 
supplemented by Circular No. 04/2009/TT -BKHCN of March 27, 2009, and Circular 
No. 18/2011/TT-BKHCN of July 22, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as " Circular No. 01/2008/TT-
BKHCN "), as follows: 
 
Article 1. Amend, supplement some Item s of Circular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN as 
follows: 
 
1. Amend Item I.1 of Circular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN as follows: 
 
"1. Subjects under industrial property assessment  
The assessment of industrial property as stipulated at Article 201 of Intellectual Property 
Law and Item 2.b, Article 39 of Decree No. 10 5/2006/ND-CP shall consist of the following 
subjects: 
 
a) Assessment of inventions and semi-conductor integrated circuit layout designs;  
b) Assessment of industrial designs; 
 c) Assessment of trademarks and geographical indications; IP/N/1/VNM/O/13 
 
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d) Assessment of other industrial property rights. 
 
2. Amend, supplement Item I.2 of Ci rcular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN as follows: 
 "2. Requirements for granting industrial property assessor cards 
 
2.1 The requirements for granting industrial property assessor cards (hereinafter referred 
to as " assessor cards ") as stipulated at Article 201.3 of Intellectual Property Law shall be 
construed as follows: 
 a) "Permanent residence in Viet Nam" shall be construed as a person having a regular, 
stable and unlimited residence in Viet Nam, and legally permitted in accordance with laws and 
regulations on residence;  
 
b) "Possessing good ethical qualities" shall be construed as a person having not been 
subject to any administrative sanction for violation of industrial property rights or professional 
ethics nor accused of criminal liability nor suspected guilty. 
 c) "Being a university graduate or higher qualifications on the assessment subjects" shall 
be construed as a person having bachelor or master degrees in engineering, physics, chemistry or 
biology for assessment of inventions and semi-conductor integrated circuit layout designs; a person having bachelor or master degrees in any field for other assessment subjects. 
 
d) "Having at least five-year experience in th e field requested for granting assessor cards" 
shall be construed as a person having at least 05 years of experience in directly settling disputes, 
appeals and inspect, legal affairs, consultancy on industrial property law; doing researches for 
researcher titles; teaching law on industrial property with lecturer titles; or a person having at least 05 years of experience in providing explanat ion, guiding implementation of legal provisions, 
drafting laws and regulations; directly involving or carrying out substantive examination of 
inventions (and utility solutions), industrial designs, trademarks or geographical indications (and 
appellations of origin) at national or international industrial property offices, or a person having at 
least 05 years of experience in industrial property agent. 
 
2.2. Industrial property assessors may work for industrial property assessment 
organizations or operate independently. If assessors work under organizations, his information shall be recorded in the List of Industrial property assessors under the organizations in accordance 
with procedures on granting Certificates for assessment organizations and that performance shall 
be recorded in the List of industrial property assessors as stipulated at Item III.6 of this Circular. 
 
3. Amend, supplement Item I.3 of Ci rcular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN as follows: 
 "3. Requirements for granting Certificates fo r industrial property assessment organizations 
 
3.1 Organizations shall be granted Certificates for industrial property assessment 
(hereinafter referred to as " Certificates for assessment organizations ") if they fully meet 
requirements stipulated at Article 201.2 of Intellectual Property Law. 
 
3.2 Organizations as referred to in Article 42.1 of the amended Decree No. 105/2006/ND-
CP include: 
 
a) Businesses, including limited liability companies, joint stock companies, partnerships, 
private enterprises of any economic sector established and operated in accordance with laws and regulations on businesses; IP/N/1/VNM/O/13 
 
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b) Cooperatives and cooperative associations established and operated in accordance with 
laws and regulations on cooperatives; 
 
c) Public service organizations established and operated under decisions of competent 
authorities; 
 
d) Vietnamese lawyer organizations established and operated in accordance with laws and 
regulations on laws and regulations on lawyers, including: offices of lawyers, limited liability 
companies, partnerships on legal affairs, except branches of foreign lawyer organizations, 100% 
foreign capital companies, joint ventures betwee n Vietnamese and foreign lawyer organizations. 
 
Branches, affiliates of organizations as stipulated at this provision shall only operate 
assessment activities under the name of and authorized by those organizations. 
 
4. Delete Item I.4 of Circular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN. 
 
5. Amend Item II.1.a of Circular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN as follows: 
 "a) Issues to be tested for industrial property assessment as stipulated in Article 201.3 of 
Intellectual Property Law include industrial property  law and other subjects on industrial property 
assessment". 
 
6. Amend Item III.5 of Circular  No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN as follows: 
 "5. Withdrawal of assessor cards 
 
The Director General of NOIP shall issue decisions on withdrawal of assessor cards in the 
following cases: 
 
a) There is evidence showing that assessor cards are illegally granted; 
 
b) Owners of assessor cards no longer comply  with regulations provided in Clause 3, 
Article 201 of Intellectual Property Law and Item I.2 of this Circular; 
 
c) Owners of assessor cards no longer carry out the assessment service".  
7. Amend Item IV.1 of Circular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN as follows: 
 "1. Competence in grant, re-grant, withdrawal of Certificates of assessment organizations 
 
a )  T h e  D i r e c t o r  G e n e r a l  o f  N O I P  s h a l l  b e  c o m p e t e n t  t o  g r a n t ,  r e - g r a n t  o r  w i t h d r a w  
Certificates of assessment organizations as stipulated in Item IV.2, 3, 4, 5 of this Circular from 
public institutions that have registered with Ministry of Science and Technology as scientific and 
technological organizations. 
 
b) Director Generals of provincial Departme nts Science and Technology shall be competent 
to grant, re-grant, withdraw Certificates of assessment organizations as stipulated in Item IV.2, 3, 
4, 5 of this Circular from organizations that have registered for business and operation with the 
local authorities, as stipulated in Item I.3 of this Circular.  
 
c) NOIP and provincial Departments of Scie nce and Technology shall receive and examine 
applications for Certificates for assessment organizations at their corresponding competence as stipulated in (a) and (b) being mentioned above. IP/N/1/VNM/O/13 
 
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8. Amend IV.2.b of Circular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN as follows: 
 
"2. Applications for Certificates for assessment organizations shall consist of the following: 
 b) A copy (with a public notary) of Certificat es of Business Registration (for businesses and 
cooperatives, cooperative associations), Registrations for scientific and technological operation (for 
scientific and technological organizations), Certificates of Establishment and Business Registration (according regulations - for non scientific and technological organizations) or Certificates of lawyer 
organization operation". 
 9. Amend Item V.2 of Circular No. 01/2008/TT-BKHCN as follows: 
 
"2. Fees and charges  
Collection, payment, management and use of fees and charges for assessment tests, 
examination of dossier, granting, re-granting assessor's Cards and Certificates of assessment 
organizations as stipulated in this Circular shall be applied under the provisions of Circular 
No. 22/2009/TT-BTC of February 04, 2009 of Minist ry of Finance on guiding the collecting, 
receiving, managing and using industrial property fees and charges". 
 
Article 2. Validity  
This Circular comes into effect 45 days after the signing date. 
 If any problems, difficulties or obstacles arise in the course of implementation, they should 
be promptly reported to the Ministry of Science and Technology for study and settlement./. 
  
FOR THE MINISTER 
VICE-MINISTER 
 
(Signed and sealed) 
 
 
 
Tran Van Tung 
 
 
__________