Thailand has long been regarded as a particularly strict jurisdiction with respect to restrictions on the advertising, sale, and consumption of alcohol and tobacco products. Two recent developments demonstrate that current political uncertainties have done nothing to reverse the trend for increasingly draconian restrictions on international and local brand owners.

Amendments to Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Law (2006) (Aviation Law) became effective on July 1, 2015. The Aviation Law and the amendments regulate air carrier liability in Vietnam. Vietnam is not a signatory to the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, adopted in Montreal on May 28, 1999 (the Montreal Convention). However, the legal framework for liability under the Aviation Law is generally consistent with the Montreal Convention, creating protection for consumers and predictability for air operators and their insurers.

The Madrid Protocol entered into force in Cambodia on June 5, 2015. Consequently, trademark protection can now be obtained through national and international channels. While the Department of Intellectual Property Rights (DIPR) plans to issue new regulations on the Madrid System’s registration procedures—and so the procedures may be subject to change—there has been no official announcement to date. Therefore, this article discusses Cambodia’s current trademark registration procedures to help foreign applicants effectively manage their trademark portfolios.

Geographical Indications (GIs) are signs used on products which have a specific geographical origin and characteristics or a reputation that are due to factors that are indigenous to that origin, such as nature and people.In Indonesia, numerous products have been registered as GIs. Coconut sugar, coffee, furniture, fruits, tobacco, honey, herbs, horse milk, patchouli oil, rice, vegetables, and white pepper are among just a few examples. Applicants originate from across Indonesia, and certain areas are often famous for producing a particular kind of product. 

As a result of an agreement between the Thai Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) and the Japanese Patent Office (JPO), on January 1, 2014, the DIP initiated a two-year Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Program. The PPH Pilot Program provides a fast-track channel that allows applicants who have filed a patent application in Japan first, followed by a counterpart application in Thailand, to accelerate substantive examination of their Thai application by utilizing the examination results of their Japanese application.

Expanding waistlines and increasing health awareness have given rise to a consumer culture infatuated with well-being, not only in Thailand but all over the world. For producers, this means intense pressure to create healthy or healthier versions of their products. For the government—specifically the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—this means an obligation to implement and enforce stricter regulations on food and nutrition.

Employers should be familiar with their obligations under Myanmar’s rapidly evolving labor laws. These laws often impose unique restrictions and procedural requirements on employers which could result in disastrous consequences if not complied with. In this article, we provide an overview of foreign investors’ significant obligations when hiring employees in Myanmar.

Employers often believe that fixed-term employment contracts provide advantages over indefinite-term agreements because of the complexity of terminating workers under Thai law. But in reality, fixed-term contracts are subject to a variety of restrictions under Thai law which can lead to significant, and often unexpected, legal pitfalls for employers. This article highlights some of the key issues to help managers understand the law when entering into fixed-term employment contracts.