Given the importance and ubiquity of computers and the Internet in daily life, it is crucial to have effective statutes for protecting intellectual property rights and combating infringement. Thailand’s Computer Crime Act, enacted on July 18, 2007, was initially intended to address issues in cyberspace not previously covered by Thai criminal law. However, the Act does not explicitly address intellectual property matters.

Having recently become a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty on December 24, 2009, Thailand is taking another important step to strengthen its commitment to internationally recognized means of protecting intellectual property. Thailand’s accession to the Madrid Protocol and the attendant International Registration of Marks, which it agreed to join along with the other ASEAN members to implement the ASEAN Economic Community blueprint, is nearer to becoming a reality.

Renewable energy is a major focus of Thailand’s energy policy. The Ministry of Energy has announced a plan which aims to increase the proportion of renewable energy in total consumption to 20.3% by 2022. This represents a huge increase, considering that renewable energy accounted for about 1.5% of Thailand’s energy consumption in 2009, depending on which sources one counts as renewable. Many investors are now considering establishing renewable energy plants here in Thailand, particularly given the generous incentives offered by the government.

The Council of State of the Thai Government is currently reviewing draft amendments to the Trademark Act. There are several proposals on the table, including: (1) the allowance of multiple-class applications; (2) the abolition of the “association” requirement for identical/similar marks owned by the same company; (3) the inclusion of “smell and sound” in the definition of a “trademark”; and (4) the introduction of a grace period for renewal applications.

When a new entrepreneur starts to look for new opportunities, joining a franchise business is often one of the first business models to consider.   Small business ventures seeking a new product to excite the market and expand their customer base commonly enter into license agreements authorizing them to manufacture and/or sell inventive products. The number of Thai entrepreneurs who also are innovators is smaller than those who license technology from foreign innovators.

With worldwide publicity surrounding recent political protests in Thailand, renewed focus has been placed on the force and effect of protest movements in all facets of Thai society.  One area in which this social phenomenon has particular force is in organized labor disputes and, specifically, on the growing influence of employee strikes in Thailand.

In this time of economic turmoil, the improvement of trade logistics is crucial in increasing the efficiency of systems of distribution, warehousing, maintenance, freight forwarding, etc. Nations are faced with the need to accelerate development of local logistics infrastructure in order to compete globally and respond to market demand, and this need can be particularly acute in the pharmaceutical industry for active pharmaceutical ingredients in bulk or finalized products.

Under new Food and Drug Administration requirements, certain cosmetic products may need to be reclassified and re-registered. Previously, there had been three categories of cosmetics: general cosmetics, controlled cosmetics, and specially controlled cosmetics. Under the ASEAN Harmonized Cosmetic Regulation Scheme, all cosmetic products will need to be registered with the Thai FDA within the controlled cosmetics category, and the other two categories will be eliminated.