Vietnam Drafts Amendment To Patent Examination Guidelines For Inventions Related To Computer Programs

To improve its patent application processing capacity, the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (IP Office), with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is continuing to develop a draft amendment to the patent application examination guidelines for inventions related to computer programs.

After issuing Annex I to the patent application examination guidelines in 2021, which covered subject-matters related to computer programs that are protected as inventions, the IP Office's Patent Examination Center, with the support of experts from the JICA, has now developed a draft of Annex II. This draft provides guidance on examination related to a sufficient disclosure of the substance of claimed subject-matters and an assessment of the protection criteria (novelty and inventive step) of subject-matters related to computer programs, along with illustrative examples.