IP/N/1/VNM/O/9  
 
16 October 2013  
(13-5671)  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 Decree No. 122/2010/ND-CP 
amending and supplementing a number of articles  of the Government's Decree No. 103/2006/ND-
CP of September 22, 2006, detailing and guiding a number of articles of law on intellectual property regarding industrial property, as no tified 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 de la traduction non officielle du Décret 
n° 122/2010/ND-CP modifiant et complétant certains articles du Décret gouvernemental 
n° 103/2006/ND-CP du 22 septembre 2006 contenant des détails et des orientations pour la mise 
en œuvre de certains articles de la Loi sur la propriété intellectuelle relatifs à la propriété industrielle, 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 
V
IET NAM 
En el presente documento se reproduce el texto1 de la traducción no oficial del Decreto 
Nº 122/2010/ND-CP, por el que se modifican y complementan varios artículos del Decreto del 
Gobierno Nº 103/2006/ND-CP, de 22 de septiembre de 2006, que contiene disposiciones 
detalladas y directrices con respecto a varios artículos de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual en relación con la propiedad industrial, 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/9 
 
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THE GOVERNMENT 
 
No. 122/2010/ND-CP SOCIALIST  REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM 
Independence - Freedom – Happiness 
 
Hanoi, December 31, 2010  
 
DECREE 
AMENDING AND SUPPLEMENTING A NUMBER OF ARTICLES OF THE GOVERNMENT'S 
DECREE NO. 103/ 2006/ND-CP OF SEPTEMBER 22, 2006, DETAILING AND GUIDING A 
NUMBER OF ARTICLES OF LAW ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY REGARDING INDUSTRIAL 
PROPERTY 
------------------------- 
THE GOVERNMENT 
Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001; 
Pursuant to the Law on Intellectual Property dated November 29, 2005, which was 
amended and supplemented on June 19, 2009; 
At the proposal of the Science and Technology Minister; 
 
DECREES:  
 Article 1.  To amend and supplement a number of articles of the Government's Decree 
No. 103/2006/ND-CP of  September 22, 2006, detailin g and guiding a number of articles of Law on 
Intellectual Property regarding industrial property. 
 
1. To amend Point h, Clause 2, Article 3 as follows: 
 "h. Rights to management of geographical indications shall belong to their localities, 
including geographical names and other signs indicating the geographical origin of local 
specialties"; 
 
2. To amend Clauses 3, 4 of, and supplement Clause 5 to Article 19 as follows: 
 "3. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and 
Trade shall assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with People's Committees of 
provinces or central-level cities in identifying specialties, characteristics and production process of 
specialties bearing geographical indications managed by ministries, agencies or localities. 
 
4. People's Committees of provinces or central-level cities shall file applications for 
registration and organize the management of geographical indications used for local specialties and grant permits for the registration of collective marks or certificate marks for geographical 
names and other signs indicating the geographical origins of local specialties. 
 5. The Ministry of Science and Technology shall specify criteria for identifying geographical 
names and other signs indicating the geographical origins of products." 
 IP/N/1/VNM/O/9 
 
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  3. To supplement the Chapter IIIa as follows: 
 "Chapter IIIa. CONFIDENTIAL INVENTIONS 
 
Article 23a.  Confidential inventions; protection titles of confidential invention; contents of 
and limitations on rights to confidential inventions 
 
1. Inventions that are classified by competent state agencies as state secrets in the field of 
national defense and security under laws and regulations on protection of state secrets are referred to as confidential inventions. 
 
2. Confidential inventions shall only be granted confidential invention patents or 
confidential utility solution patents. 
 
3. Confidential invention applications, confidential invention patents and confidential utility 
solution patents may not be disclosed and must be kept confidential under laws and regulations on protection of state secrets. 
 
4. The utilization and licensing of confidential inventions and the assignment of the right to 
file applications and the right to own confidential inventions must be permitted by competent state agencies under laws and regulations on protection of state secrets. 
 
5. The Minister of Public Security and the Mini ster of National Defense may utilize or assign 
organizations or individuals to utilize confidential inventions for the national defense or security 
purposes under Articles 145.146 and 147 of Law on intellectual Property. 
 6. After a confidential invention is disclosed by a competent agency under laws and 
regulations on protection of state secrets, its a pplication and protection title shall be handled as 
follows: 
 a. The confidential invention application shall be further processed like a normal invention 
application; 
 b. The confidential invention patent or confidential utility solution patent shall be converted 
into a normal invention patent or utility solution patent, and published in the Industrial Property 
Official Gazette, as well as  recorded in the National Register of Inventions. 
 
Article 23b.  Security control of inventions befo re filing for protection overseas 
 1. Vietnamese organizations and individuals shall only register their confidential inventions 
in countries in which laws and regulations on protection of confidential inventions are available and 
shall seek permission from competent agencies in accordance with Clause 2, Article 23c of this 
Decree. 
 
2. Inventions of Vietnamese organizations and individuals and inventions created in 
Vietnam shall not be protected by Viet Nam if the applications of those inventions thereof have been filed for industrial property protection overseas in contravention of the following provisions 
on security control: 
 a. Applications for industrial property protecti on shall only be filed overseas when patent 
applications have been filed in Vietnam and the time limit of 6 months from the filing date has 
expired, except cases specified at Point b of this Clause; 
 b. The filing of applications for industrial property protection overseas is not allowed if 
inventions are classified confidential under laws and regulations on protection of state secrets and 
is communicated by competent agencies about that. 
 IP/N/1/VNM/O/9 
 
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  Article 23c.  Identification and disclosure of confidential inventions; establishment and 
transfer of rights to confidential inventions 
 1. The identification and disclosure of confid ential inventions shall be conducted by the 
Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security under laws and regulations on 
protection of state secrets. 
 
2. The Ministry of Public Security shall assu me the prime responsibility for and coordinate 
with the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Science and Technology in specifying procedures for identification and disclosure of confidential inventions; protection of confidential inventions; procedures for examination of applications and grant of confidential invention 
protection titles; management of utilization, li censing of confidential inventions, and overseas 
registration of industrial property protection of confidential inventions in accordance with laws and regulations on protection of state secrets and laws and regulations on  intellectual property." 
 
4. To amend and supplement Article 29 as follows:  
"Article 29.  Grant and revocation of Certificates of industrial property representative 
practice 
 1. Certificates of Industrial property represen tative practice shall be granted to individuals 
who satisfy the conditions specified in Clause 2, Article 155 of Law on Intellectual Property after 
they pay prescribed fees and charges in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. 
 
2. Certificates of industrial property representative practice is revoked when: 
 a. The certificate holder has quitted the job of industrial property representative; 
 
b. The certificate holder no longer satisfies the conditions specified in Clause 2, Article 155 
of Law on Intellectual Property; 
 
c. The certificate holder is revoked of the right to use the certificate under a competent 
state agency's decision. 
 
3. An application for re-grant of the Certificate for industrial properly representative 
practice after being revoked according to Point c, Cl ause 2 of this Article shall only be considered 
upon the expiration of the duration of revocation of the right to use this certificate. 
 
4. The Ministry of Science and Technology is responsible for granting and revoking 
certificates of industrial property representative practice. 
 
5. To supplement Article 29a as follows: 
 "Article 29a.  Recording and deleting organizations providing industrial property 
representative services 
 1. Organizations satisfying the conditions as specified in Article 154 of Law on Intellectual 
Property which are detailed in Clauses 2, 3 and 4 of this Article shall be recorded as industrial 
property representative organizations in the national  register of industrial property representatives 
and published in the Industrial Properly Offici al Gazette at their request and after paying 
prescribed fees and charges. 
 
2. Organizations defined in Clause 1, Article 154 of Law on Intellectual Property include:  
a. Enterprises established and operating under laws and regulations on enterprises; 
 b. Cooperatives and unions of cooperatives established and operating under laws and 
regulations on cooperatives; 
 c. Law-practicing organizations established and operating under laws and regulations on 
lawyers, excluding affiliates of foreign law-practicing organizations, wholly foreign-owned limited IP/N/1/VNM/O/9 
 
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  liability law firms, and limited liability law firms in the form of joint ventures between Vietnamese 
law-practicing organizations and foreign law-practicing organizations; 
 d. Scientific and technological organizations established and operating under laws and 
regulations on science and technology. 
 3. Affiliates and other dependent units of organi zations specified in Clause 2 of this Article 
shall only provide industrial property representative services in the name of their principals. 
 4. At-law representatives of industrial property representative organizations or persons 
who are authorized by these representatives to prov ide industrial property representative services 
must satisfy the conditions for provision of industrial property representative services as specified 
in Clause I, Article 155 of Law on Intellectual Property. 
 
5. An industrial property representative organization has its name deleted from the 
national register of industrial property representa tives and such deletion shall be published in the 
Industrial Property Official Gazette when: 
 
a. It terminates the provision of industrial property representative services:  b. It no longer fully satisfies the conditions specified in Article 154 of Law on Intellectual 
Property Law." 
 6. To supplement Clauses 2a, 2b and 3a to Article 36 as follows: 
 
"2a. Industrial property applications filed with the National Office of Intellectual Property in 
the period from July 1, 2006 to December 31, 2009, shall be processed in accordance with the Law 
on Intellectual Property 2005 and guiding regulations. 
 2b. Industrial property applications filed with  the National Office of Intellectual Property 
from January 1, 2010 onward shall be processed in accordance with Law 2009 amending and 
Supplementing a Number of Articles of the in tellectual Property and guiding regulations. 
 3a. The National Office of Intellectual Property shall grant certificates of geographical 
indications for appellations of origin of goods that already registered in accordance with the 
provisions of Law on Intellectual Property regarding registration of geographical indications. Rights 
and obligations of industrial property right holders related to appellations of origin of goods shall 
comply with the provisions on geographical indications in Law on Intellectual Property." 
 Article 2.  Come into effect 
 
This Decree shall come into effect on February 20, 2011. 
 Article 3.  Responsibility for guiding the implementation  
 
1. The Minister of Science and Technology sh all guide the implementation of this Decree. 
 
2. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-attached agencies, 
and chairpersons of provincial-level People 's Committees shall implement this Decree. 
  
   ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT 
PRIME MINISTER  
 
 
Nguyen Tan Dung  
 
 
__________