Timing of a reconvened Board meeting in a Vietnamese joint stock company

Under Article 153 of Enterprise Law 2014, the Chairman of Board of Director (BOD Chairman) must convene the meeting of BOD within 7 days as from the date of receiving a request for an irregular meeting. In case the first meeting is not attended by three quarter or more of total BOD members, the second meeting must be convened within seven days as from the intended date of the first meeting unless a shorter time limit is provided in the company charter.  

According to the above regulations, there may be a dispute as to time for “convention” of the second meeting. One may argue that the second meeting of BOD must be held within 7 days or a shorter period provided in the company charter.

On the other hand, one may argue that the BOD Chairman only need to send notice of convening the BOD meeting within seven days or shorter period specified in the company charter. The second meeting may be held at any time provided in the notice sent by the BOD Chairman which may not be within the time limit as provided in Article 153 of Enterprise Law 2014.

If the latter understanding applies to the convention of the BOD second meeting, it appears that there is no time limit for organizing and conducting the second meeting. Based on the wording of laws and the company charter, the BOD Chairman may take advantage of this provision to prolong the organizing time of the second meeting if he/she considers that the request for BOD irregular meeting is not beneficial for him/her.

This post is contributed by Le Minh Thuy, a trainee at Venture North Law.

VIETNAM-BUSINESS-LAW.INFO IN 2018

Below are some key statistics for our website in the year of 2018. 

Technology Transfer in Vietnam - Is “technology” a property?

The Law on Technology Transfer 2017 is drafted based on the assumption that a technology (công nghệ) can be transferred as a property (tài sản). But in light of the provisions of the Civil Code 2015, one may have to ask whether technology is a property?

Transferring technology means the transfer of the ownership or the use right of a technology from a transferor to a transferee. In addition, Article 7 of the Law on Technology Transfer 2017 says that the owner of a technology may assign its ownership or license its use right of the technology. Therefore, the Law on Technology Transfer 2017 implies that, to transfer a technology, the transferor must have the ownership of such technology. Under the Civil Code 2015, ownership can only be created upon a property. Thus, the technology under the Law on Technology Transfer 2017 should be a property.

However, technology as defined by the Law on Technology Transfer 2017 may not be a property. Article 2.2 of the Law on Technology Transfer 2017 defines technology as a solution (giải pháp), process (quy trình), and know-how (bí quyết) which can turn resources into products. Article 105 of the Civil Code 2015 says that property comprises objects (vật), money (tiền), valuable papers (giấy tờ có giá), and property rights (quyền tài sản).

The definition of technology suggests that technology is something intangible. Therefore, it is not an object. For the obvious reason, technology is not money, or a valuable paper.

Then can a technology may be property right? Solution, process, and know-how is arguably not a right. But a right to solution, process, and know-how can be property right. Article 115 of the Civil Code 2015 says that property rights are rights being able to be valued in terms of money, including property rights in respect of subjects of intellectual property rights, land use rights and other property rights. Accordingly, a transfer of technology should be considered as a transfer of rights to such technology.

Solution, process, and know-how can be the subjects of intellectual property rights. Therefore, a right to technology can be intellectual property right, thus, a property right. However, the law is not clear whether there is any money-worth right other than intellectual property right can be created upon technology?

This post is contributed by Ha Thanh Phuc, a trainee at Venture North Law.