The Court was legislated under the new Law on the Organisation of the People’s Courts, effective as of 1 January 2025. Article 62.2 of the law provides for a dedicated IP Court with powers to hear first-instance IP-related civil and administrative cases. It will also issue decisions to enforce legally effective court judgments and decisions on IP administrative cases.
While the IP community is eagerly looking forward to necessary amendments to the existing laws, such as the Civil Procedure Code, for the operational start of the Specialised IP Court, a key development took place recently. The second draft resolution on the establishment, dissolution, and territorial jurisdiction of the People’s Courts has been submitted for review and finalisation, with a tentative effective date of 1 July 2025. The proposed Article 5 of this draft outlines the geographical jurisdiction for the two regional IP Courts:
Additionally, the Council of Judges of the Supreme People's Court has submitted a draft resolution providing the application of some regulations on receiving and exercising the jurisdiction of People's Courts, which guides the Courts at different levels on cases hand-over and transition after 1 July 2025.
These draft resolutions mark an important step towards finalising the operational framework for the IP Court. If the necessary legal reforms progress as planned, Vietnam’s specialised IP Court could begin operations very soon, within 2025 or early 2026.
We will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as more information becomes available.
Authors: Yen Vu, Huy Nguyen, Uyen Doan
