Staff profile

Dr Van Anh Le's return to Durham Law School in 2023, this time as an Assistant Professor of IP Law. Her academic journey, enriched by experiences at various Russell Group universities, includes a previous stint at Durham from 2018 to 2019, a Teaching Fellow at Warwick University (2019-2021) and a role as a Departmental Lecturer at Oxford (2021–2023),

Van Anh's academic journey began with an LLB from Ho Chi Minh City University of Law (Vietnam) and continued with an LLM from Bangor University (UK), where she was awarded a scholarship to pursue her PhD. Her doctoral studies were further enriched by a research scholarship at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Munich in 2016 and 2017.

Her research has explored the challenges faced by developing countries regarding IP rights and access to essential medicines. She examined the use of compulsory patent licensing in India, Brazil, and Thailand and highlighted the difficulties these nations face due to their limited manufacturing capacity. Similarly, her investigation into using patents for second medical purposes in Vietnam revealed how developing countries often struggle to meet international standards, resorting to ambiguous language while practical implementation remains elusive. She is the author of the book ‘Compulsory Patent Licensing and Access to Medicines: A Silver Bullet Approach to Public Health’ published by Palgrave in 2021 and reviewed in the Asian Journal of International Law.

These contributions have not only been recognised internationally but have also yielded some influences. In 2022, she served as an internal validator for the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre report, focusing on 'Compulsory Licensing for Expensive Medicines' to assess the scientific validity of the report. Her co-authored article 'Are IPRs and Patents the Real Barriers to Covid-19 Vaccine Supplies?' was selected by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) for its 'Review of Existing Research on Patents and Access to Medical Products and Health Technologies' for the period 2019-2021 (published in August 2022).

She currently focuses on IP public policy in Southeast Asia. Her recent publications explored the legal transplant of Geographical Indications in Vietnam and the influence of the Soviet Legacy on the country's IP system.

She is interested in supervising PhD projects on patents, copyrights, IP public policies, and the historical evolution of IP law.

Public engagement

• Featured in Forbes News and Al Jazeera discussing the global AI patent race between China and the US.
• Writing for Managing IP, a prominent platform for IP practitioners.

Research outputs

View Van Anh's research outputs

Authored book

• Le, V. A. (2022). Compulsory Patent Licensing and Access to Medicines: A Silver Bullet Approach to Public Health?. (1). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84193-5

Book review

• Le, V. A., & Vu, T. C. (2024). Intellectual Property and Development: Geographical Indications in Practice by PICK Barbara. Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge, 2022. xxiv + 240 pp. Hardcover: AUD$242.00/£115.00; eBook: AUD$70.99 doi: 10.4324/9781003352105. Asian Journal of International Law, 14(1), 223-224. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2044251323000528

Chapter in book

• Le, V. A. (2021). Thailand: Shooting Star for Access to Medicines Through Compulsory Licensing. In S. Ragavan, & A. Vanni (Eds.), . Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003176602-16

Journal Article

• Upreti, P. N., Le, V. A., & Nguyen, S. L. (2024). The “Intellectual Property” Puzzle in the WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty: An Appraisal. European Intellectual Property Review, 46(11), 716-725
• Le, V. A. (2024). Soviet Legacy of Vietnam's Intellectual Property Law: Big Brother is (No Longer) Watching You. Asian Journal of Comparative Law, 19(1), 39-66. https://doi.org/10.1017/asjcl.2023.31
• Nguyen, S. L., & Le, V. A. (2023). Diffusion of Geographical Indication Law in Vietnam: “Journey To The West”. International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law, 54(2), 176-199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40319-023-01289-9
• Le, V. A. (2022). Second Medical Use Patents and Compensation for the Delay in Marketing Authorisations: The Curious Case of Vietnam. GRUR International, 71(11), 1048-1055. https://doi.org/10.1093/grurint/ikac095
• Le, V. A., & Samson, L. (2021). Are IPRs and patents the real barriers to COVID-19 vaccine supplies?. Manchester journal of international economic law, 18(2), 192-204
• Le, V. A., & Hyland, M. (2020). Compulsory Licensing for Patented Medicines: A Comparative Legal Analysis of India, Brazil and Thailand. Manchester journal of international economic law, 17(3), 252-273
• Le, V. A., & Hyland, M. (2017). Right of communication to the public: Stichting Brein v Ziggo BV and XS4All Internet BV, Court of Justice of the European Union, 14 June 2017. Communication Law, 22(4), 132-133