Two years ago, the Private Investment in State Undertaking Act B.E. 2556 (2013) (PISUA) replaced the Private Participation in State Undertaking Act B.E. 2535 (1992) (PPSUA), which set out the criteria for a private party to jointly operate a government project. There were calls to replace the PPSUA because the law had a convoluted project approval process that discouraged private investment. During its 21-year lifespan, only 40 projects were completed under the PPSUA.

A recent Nielsen survey concluded that Vietnam ranks third in the world in terms of consumer fondness for branded goods, with 73 percent of Vietnamese participants responding that they liked to buy products of famous brands. In addition, 56 percent said they were willing to pay more for designer products than for others of a similar nature. Owners of global brands that are looking to enter Vietnam’s promising market have several options available.

Indonesia has a “first-to-file” trademark system, in which protection over a mark is granted to the first applicant to submit an application for the mark and subsequently obtain its registration. In the course of the trademark registration process, trademark examiners conduct a search to ascertain whether the applied-for trademark is confusingly similar to prior-registered or pending trademarks. If the applied-for trademark is found to be distinctive and not confusingly similar, the trademark application will be published in the Official Gazette  for three months.

Franchising has become very popular among international franchisors in the Greater Mekong Subregion. In particular, franchising in Myanmar’s food and beverage sector has experienced tremendous growth, as the country’s middle class continues to expand and tourists maintain a steady influx into the region.

Thailand began accepting applications for recordation of well-known trademarks in 2005, but to date, only 75 trademarks have been recorded as well-known marks—a relatively small number compared to the volume of applications filed. In the May 2014 edition of Informed Counsel, we updated readers that, although it was still accepting applications, Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) had, in practice, suspended the process for recording well-known trademarks.

With an aim to improve financial stability for small and medium enterprises by increasing access to funds from financial institutions, the Business Collateral Act B.E. 2558 (BCA) was published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette  on November 5, 2015.

Virtually all of us are dependent on the use of the Internet and Internet-connected devices. People are plugged in, online, and in constant communication through wired and wireless telecommunication networks coupled to the Internet.By virtue of this dependency, we entrust Internet-enabled applications, programs, and connected devices with our most private communications and personal and financial details. Yet we read, almost on a daily basis, of hacks and compromises on a gargantuan scale, of the very systems we entrust with our private business and personal data.

The 2015 edition of Distribution and Marketing of Drugs, a guide to the distribution and marketing of drugs in 28 jurisdictions around the world, has been published. Each chapter provides an overview of the legal framework governing distribution and marketing of pharmaceuticals, including pre-conditions for distribution; licensing; wholesale distribution; marketing to consumers; marketing to professionals; and engagement with patient organizations.