Staff profile

Dr. Van Anh Le is an internationally recognised scholar and educator specialising in IP law, with a particular focus on public health, AI, and Southeast Asian legal systems. She currently holds a lecturing position at Durham University and previously served as a departmental lecturer at the University of Oxford (2021 - 2023)

Her monograph, Compulsory Patent Licensing and Access to Medicines: A Silver Bullet Approach to Public Health’ (Palgrave, 2021), was reviewed in the Asian Journal of International Law and is cited for its rigorous comparative analysis and policy relevance. Van Anh’s Vietnamese-language book, Pháp luật quốc tế về sáng chế, giấy phép bắt buộc và quyền tiếp cận thuốc ở một số quốc gia trên thế giới. Kinh nghiệm cho Việt Nam, (International Patent Law, Compulsory Licensing, and Access to Medicines: A Comparative Analysis with Lessons for Vietnam) was the only law book to be awarded the prestigious National Book Prize (Prize C) of Vietnam in 2024 an honour given to just 59 books nationwide, underscoring her unique and significant contribution to Vietnamese legal scholarship.

Van Anh’s influence has extended beyond academia into policy impact. In 2022, she served as an internal validator for the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre’s report on ‘Compulsory Licensing for Expensive Medicines,’ assessing its scientific rigor. Additionally, her co-authored article ‘Are IPRs and Patents the Real Barriers to Covid-19 Vaccine Supplies?’ was selected by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for its ‘Review of Existing Research on Patents and Access to Medical Products and Health Technologies’ (2019-2021).

Her ongoing research explores symbolic remedies in IP enforcement, the intersection of AI and copyright, and the legacy of colonial and socialist legal traditions in Southeast Asia. Her work has been published in leading journals such as IIC, the Asian Journal of Comparative Law, EIPR  GRUR International, and the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice. She also contributes to the academic community by peer-reviewing articles for leading IP journals.

Committed to bridging academia and practice, Van Anh has provided expert commentary to major international media, including Forbes and Al Jazeera, and actively engages with policymakers and academics across Asia and Europe. Her nomination for the 2023 WIPO World IP Day Gallery highlights her growing influence as a thought leader in IP law in Vietnam.

At Durham, Van Anh leads the development of the innovative Arts and IP LLM module, blending legal theory with emerging challenges in creativity and technology. She is keen to supervise PhD projects on patents, copyrights, IP public policies, and the historical evolution of IP law. Her teaching and research connect comparative legal frameworks with pressing contemporary challenges in innovation and access.

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

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

Book review

• 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
  
  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

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

Journal Article

• Copyright of photography and artificial intelligence: a tale of two technologies
  
  Le, V. A. (2025). Copyright of photography and artificial intelligence: a tale of two technologies. Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/jiplp/jpaf039
• The “Intellectual Property” Puzzle in the WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty: An Appraisal
  
  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.
• Soviet Legacy of Vietnam's Intellectual Property Law: Big Brother is (No Longer) Watching You
  
  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
• Diffusion of Geographical Indication Law in Vietnam: “Journey To The West”
  
  Nguyen, S. L., & Le, V. A. (2023). Diffusion of Geographical Indication Law in Vietnam: “Journey To The West”. IIC - International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law, 54(2), 176-199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40319-023-01289-9
• Second Medical Use Patents and Compensation for the Delay in Marketing Authorisations: The Curious Case of Vietnam
  
  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
• Are IPRs and patents the real barriers to COVID-19 vaccine supplies?
  
  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.
• Compulsory Licensing for Patented Medicines: A Comparative Legal Analysis of India, Brazil and Thailand
  
  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.
• 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
  
  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.

Working Paper

• Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre Submission: IPO Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property: Copyright and Patents
  
  Foss-Solbrekk, K., Ring, C., Le, V. A., Dhonchak, A., Liu, L., & Janečková, E. (2022). Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre Submission: IPO Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property: Copyright and Patents. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4018279.