IU McKinney and Vietnam National University Host Successful Conference on Trans-Pacific Partnership
01/03/2017
More than 350 government officials, lecturers and students attended the conference hosted by IU McKinney and the Vietnam National University UEL on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The event took place December 7 and 8 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
“The conference was amazing!” said Professor Xuan-Thao Nguyen of IU McKinney. She is the Gerald L. Bepko Chair in Law and the director of the law school’s Center for Intellectual Property Law and Innovation. The center and VNU designed the event to examine the IP chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. “This is the first time 12 legal experts from different law schools in the United States have worked together to examine the Intellectual Property Chapter in the TPP and Vietnam’s IP law,” Professor Nguyen said. “They considered the IP chapter in the TPP and recommended how Vietnam should implement its existing law and policy for its own economic development.”
Professor Nguyen and Professor Peter Yu of Texas A & M University School of Law presented the first panel discussion on the topic, “A Brief Overview of TPP and Intellectual Property Rights Chapter 18.”
Following this presentation, the symposium was divided into panel topics, with presenters covering specific aspects of the TPP’s impact on IP.
Panel Two covered “Trademark, Patents, Biologics, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets,” and Articles 18.18 to 18.70 of the TPP. Topics and presenters were as follows:
- “Trademarks, Geographical Indications, TPP (Articles 18.18 - 18.36)” by Constance Lindman, who teaches as an adjunct professor at IU McKinney
- “Patents, Industrial Designs & TPP (Articles 18.37 – 18.46; 18.55-18.56)” by Professor David Taylor Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
- “BioPharmaceuticals, IP/TPP (Articles 18.47 – 18.54)” by Professor Emily Morris of the University of Maine School of Law
- “Copyrights and Related Rights, Rights Management & TPP (Articles 18.57 – 18.70)” by Cole Davis, an attorney at Wilson Elser in Dallas, Texas
- “Trade Secrets, Encrypted Software, ISP Safe Harbor & TPP (Articles 18.78 – 18.82)” by Professor Keith Robinson of Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
Panel Three considered “IP Enforcement” and covered Articles 18.71 to 18.77. Topics and panelists were as follows:
- “IP Enforcement: Civil and Administrative Procedures and Remedies, Provisional Measures in TPP (Articles 18.71 – 18.76)” by Professor Janewa Osei Tutu of Florida International University School of Law
- “IP Criminal Procedures and Penalties, and TPP (Article 18.77); IP & Cyber Security” by Professor Shawn Boyne of IU McKinney
Panel Four discussed “IP Implementations for Economic Development.” Topics and panelists were as follows:
- “Price Transfers, Intellectual Property Assets, Multinational Companies and International Tax Issues for Vietnam and TPP” by Professor Jeffrey A. Maine of the University of Maine School of Law
- “From TPP to University: Transforming Technology Transfer” by Hamid Piroozi who teaches as an adjunct professor at IU McKinney
- “Financing for Intellectual Property and Innovation” by Professor Nguyen and Huyen Pham of IFC/World Bank
- “TPP and Thailand’s Experience and Concerns” by Apinya Bunditwuthisagul, S.J.D. ’16, Law Lecturer at the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce Faculty of Law
The conference was the subject of a significant amount of media attention in Vietnam, as evidenced by the following links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfpOlC6SUec
http://plo.vn/phap-luat/gioi-thieu-kinh-nghiem-quoc-te-ve-thuc-thi-quyen-so-huu-670105.html
http://www.thesaigontimes.vn/154693/Ra-mat-Trung-tam-phap-luat-Hoa-Ky-tai-TPHCM.html
Conference participants are in the photo, including Professor Nguyen, Adjunct Professor Lindman, Professor Boyne, and Adjunct Professor Piroozi.