Italian-Thai Development Plc, a major Thai construction company, has been making headlines in the region due to its major investment in building the Dawei Deep-Sea Port and Infrastructure Project in Myanmar. Located roughly 300 kilometers from the Thai border, this USD 8.6 billion project will open the gate for import and export of goods from countries to the east of Thailand, like Cambodia, and those to the north, like Laos and China, through Thailand to Myanmar via Kanchanaburi province.

This article first appeared on WTR Daily, part of World Trademark Review, in December 2011. For further information, please visit www.worldtrademarkreview.com.

The ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) was signed in 1995, and among its goals was “to liberalize trade in services by expanding the scope and depth of liberalization beyond those undertaken by Member States under the GATS with the aim to realize a free trade area in services” (Article 1(c)). As a general matter, AFAS adopts the same four modes of supply as used in GATS, including (1) cross-border supply, (2) consumption abroad, (3) commercial presence, and (4) presence of natural persons.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional association composed of the ten countries comprising Southeast Asia—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Situated in a region covering an area of 4.46 million km² (equivalent to approximately 3% of the total land area of the earth), these countries are home to a burgeoning population of 600 million people, which is nearly 9% of the world’s population. As a single economic block, its combined nominal GDP of USD 2 trillion ranks ninth in the world.

Wrongful death claims can result in the assessment of civil and criminal penalties on parties that may be far removed from the negligent actor. The impact could be seen on officers and directors, manufacturers and dealers, employees and employers, agents and principals, insured and insurers, among others. This article is written for corporations and their officers and directors and includes an overview of wrongful death actions, significant components of awards, and protection mechanisms.

Many companies are looking deep into their businesses to identify areas that could serve as value drivers, and intellectual property (IP) is one of the first things they turn to. The financial services industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in IP registration and commercialization across the globe. Banks, credit card companies, credit unions, consumer finance companies, insurance companies, stock brokerages, and investment funds are catching up with what are considered more traditional IP-generating industries such as pharmaceuticals, IT, and electronics.

Clients often ask about the use of electronic signatures. However, when we delve further into their questions, we tend to find there is a misunderstanding as to precisely what this means. Often what they really mean to ask is whether they can sign a contract with a pen and then fax it, or scan and email it, and whether the copy that is printed at the other end will be effective in the same way as an original. This is something altogether different from an electronic signature.

In many countries, IP infringement is considered a strict liability tort, and consequently it is not necessary to prove the infringer’s intention to commit the act. In Thailand, however, there are no clear guidelines on whether it is necessary to prove an alleged infringer’s intent to violate trademark rights. The Supreme Court Judgment 5219/2550 offers a potential interpretation of this issue.