Prime Minister Directs Strengthening of Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement

On 30 January 2026, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính signed Directive No. 02/CT-TTg on strengthening the enforcement of intellectual property rights.

In the opening part of the Directive, the Prime Minister emphasized that infringements of intellectual property rights (IPRs) continue to occur in a complex and serious manner, significantly affecting the investment environment, the legitimate rights and interests of citizens and businesses, and even the country's international reputation.

The Prime Minister requested that enforcement agencies implement solutions to enhance the capacity, effectiveness, and efficiency of IPRs enforcement, strictly prevent and handle infringement acts in accordance with the "six clear" principle: clear responsible person, clear task, clear timeline, clear responsibility, clear target product, and clear authority.

Regarding copyright and related rights, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to take the lead in studying and proposing amendments to administrative sanction regulations; to strengthen inspection activities and strictly handle infringement acts, especially those involving unauthorized reproduction, use, and exploitation of works, performances, phonograms, and videograms, as well as the illegal uploading and dissemination of works to the public - particularly on online platforms. Concerning Article 225 of the Penal Code on crimes related to infringement of copyright and related rights, the Prime Minister also directed the Ministry of Public Security to take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries to propose amendments aimed at expanding the scope of application of this Article and increasing the level of criminal penalties.

In addition, relevant specialized ministries will intensify training programs for functional forces to improve knowledge and skills in detecting and handling IPRs infringements. Notably, the Ministry of Education and Training has been tasked with studying and incorporating intellectual property education into appropriate school levels and educational systems, with the ultimate goal of fostering a culture of respect for intellectual property within the community.

The directives in this Directive are clearly consistent with the tasks and solutions already set out in the Strategy for the Development of Vietnam’s Cultural Industries to 2030, with a vision toward 2045 (approved by the Prime Minister on November 14, 2025), specifically the objective of “enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the management and enforcement of intellectual property laws in order to strengthen the protection of intellectual creations for products of the cultural and entertainment industries.”