3 New VLCs of Global Patent Drama: Vietnam, Lebanon, and Canada
Good morning — or as Big Tech says lately, “Xin chào, Vietnam.”
Vietnam might not be on your vacation list, but it should be on your IP strategy map. Why? China’s getting expensive, and companies are craving better IP protection.
In just two years, Vietnam has climbed from #48 to #44 in the Global Innovation Index — and now, it’s gunning for IP glory.
And companies are noticing. Huawei and Qualcomm aren’t just assembling products in Vietnam — they’ve filed 3,000+ and 2,600+ patent families, respectively, since 2019.
📌 Fun fact: Over 79,000 patents have been published in Vietnam between 2019 and 2025.
IAM recently featured our analysis in their coverage of Vietnam’s patent surge. Read their take here and check out our full breakdown here.
BUT……
Despite all this IP action, Vietnam still doesn’t have a functioning specialized IP court. One was supposed to launch in Jan 2025 — but, as usual, bureaucracy had other plans. Until then, infringement cases often go through regular courts or administrative enforcement.
But a proper IP court is coming (eventually), and local IP lawyers have big hopes it will clean up the process.
“If we have a specialized court, then we have a specialized job,” says veteran IP litigator Loc Xuan Le. “I have big expectations.”
So do the multinationals betting big on Vietnam.
IP in 2 minutes
In our reel this week, we showed how Lebanon is helping pharma players stay ahead with regulatory flexibility.
Meanwhile, in Canada… someone at Novo Nordisk forgot to pay a $250 fee.
The result? Their patent on semaglutide (the blockbuster behind Ozempic and Wegovy) lapsed — and generic giants like Sandoz and Apotex jumped on it. If all goes to plan, Canada could see Ozempic generics by early 2026, way before the U.S. expiry in 2032.
This isn’t just a one-off slip. Missed fees, court invalidations, and filing delays are creating billion-dollar windows for fast-moving generics worldwide.
👉 Here’s how to spot the next one before anyone else does.
Around the IP World
- Network-1 vs. Samsung: Network-1’s lawsuit against Samsung could shake up M2M and IoT tech. They’ve filed against 45 Samsung products — including 5G and eSIM devices — claiming M2M patents. Could be an opening for monetizing similar patents in the space. (Source 1, Source 2).
- Apple’s $110M Patent Loss: Apple’s got to hand over $110.7M to Spanish patent holder TOT Power. The jury ruled Apple’s wireless chips violate TOT’s 3G tech. Guess that’s one way to ring in the next iPhone launch. (Source)
- GPMI: The Future of AV Connectivity?: GPMI — an all-in-one AV standard from Chinese tech giants — might replace HDMI and USB. It combines video, audio, data, and power into one cable. So long, cable clutter. (Source)
- Sonos vs. Google: Court Drama Continues: Sonos lost its $32.5M win over Google’s connected speakers after the court raised issues on its own. The drama? Google’s pushing for a reconsideration of the patent’s validity. Talk about a courtroom cliffhanger. (Source)
- Samsung vs. ZTE – SEP Showdown: Samsung’s asking ETSI to kick ZTE’s patents out of 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G standards after ZTE’s been declared an unwilling licensor. If this works, it could rock the SEP world — stay tuned. (Source)
Lighter side of IP
Nintendo guards its IP like it’s the nuclear codes — and honestly? It works. While Sony forgets it even owns Infamous, and Microsoft plays hot potato with studios, Nintendo’s out here milking a mustached plumber, a mute elf, and a gorilla in a tie into a theme park empire.
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