Vietnamese Official Says TPP Requires Cultural Shift on Intellectual Property

摘要

In Vietnam, print shops copy textbooks for a couple of dollars, and pharmacies sell generic drugs for a few cents per packet, but one technology official sees a cultural shift under way in society, as he makes intellectual property a priority ahead of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Dai Duong expects Vietnam will be ready to enforce stricter intellectual property rules from Day 1, if the TPP takes effect. But he said one of the biggest hurdles will be changing "the culture" in this Southeast Asian country, where knockoffs reign supreme.