Programs and Events

Regional Intellectual Property Attache Lectures on the Importance of Intellectual Property Protection

Full house for lecture on intellectual property at the Faculty of Economics and Management.

On May 21-22, the Regional Intellectual Property Attache based in Bangkok, Ms. Jennifer Ness, visited Laos for a two-day program on the importance of intellectual property (IP) in developing countries.

The program was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Public Diplomacy Section of U.S. Embassy, Vientiane. During her visit, Ms. Ness gave a lecture titled “International Trade and Intellectual Property Law” to 40 students from the Department of International Relations at the Faculty of Law and Political Science, explaining how protecting intellectual property rights helps protect business and consumers alike from dangerous products and fraudulent substitutions. Students asked questions about companies’ legal options when their IP rights are infringed and about the enforcement mechanisms available to governments’ intellectual property agencies. At the Faculty of Economics and Management, Ms. Ness delivered the same speech to over 100 students and faculty members, ending in a lively discussion about mutual responsibility and transnational protections. Ms. Ness also led a roundtable discussion on intellectual property issues with business leaders and government officials from the Science, Technology and Environment Agency; the Lao National Chamber of Commerce; the Ministries of Commerce, Finance, Justice, and Public Security; and the Vientiane Capital Administration Office.