On April 28, Dino Santaniello, head of Tilleke & Gibbins’ office in Laos, was featured in a webinar hosted by the South-East Asia IP SME Helpdesk in conjunction with the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Laos. The purpose of the session was to improve awareness among European SMEs and other public and private stakeholders about IP laws and practice in Laos, as well as to highlight the benefits of improving IP protection in the jurisdiction. In his presentation titled “Trademark Protection and Enforcement and Intellectual Property-Related Updates in Laos,” Dino led discussions on a wide range of topics, including: The local legal framework for trademarks; National and international trademark registration; Parallel imports and license agreements; Viable options for trademark enforcement; and Relevant practical case studies.

Tiziana Sucharitkul, co-managing partner and director of the Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group, has been invited to speak at a webinar on May 7, 2021, on diversity and inclusion (D&I) policies and practices at law firms. The webinar is organized by the International Bar Association (IBA) Law Firm Management Committee and will feature insights from several members of IBA leadership as well as other senior professionals from leading law firms and companies around the world. Tiziana, who sits on the committee’s advisory board, will focus especially on how Tilleke & Gibbins develops and implements D&I policies. Her presentation will also be informed by her extensive experience fostering cooperation among law firms and legal practitioners at the international level through her work with IBA, her leadership of the Lex Mundi network, and her firm-to-firm relations as a co-managing partner of Tilleke & Gibbins. The growing push for effective law firm D&I practices not only comes from internal developments but also is driven by investors who demand that companies have sound D&I policies. Law firms have been responding to these various pressures by setting D&I strategies for their own operations as well as by incorporating a D&I perspective into their client advice. This webinar will therefore delve into the practicalities of developing D&I policies for law firms and successfully carrying out those policies. For more details on the webinar, please visit the IBA website.

Kobkit Thienpreecha, partner and director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial department, was quoted by Asian Legal Business (ALB) in a recent article looking at the trade competition regulatory regime in Thailand. This legal landscape has undergone significant changes in recent years, with developments such as an amended Trade Competition Act coming into force in 2017 and merger control requirements being implemented in December 2018. The article includes Kobkit’s insights on all of these issues, commenting especially on how businesses—and legal professionals—are adjusting to the new measures. He also addressed the introduction of sector-specific guidelines covering modern trade, franchising arrangements, fruit trading, and food delivery, and cautioned that more industry-specific rules are likely to follow. Similarly, Kobkit explained that Thailand’s Trade Competition Commission has been active in providing “stimulus initiatives for SMEs and operators in the agricultural sector—two cornerstones of Thailand’s economy—both to provide COVID-19 relief and to protect from unfair trade practices of large firms with superior bargaining power.” ALB, which is owned by Thomson Reuters, provides news and analysis covering regulatory, commercial, and legal developments across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, in addition to a selection of awards and networking activities for the legal industry. To read the full article, please visit the ALB website.

On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military declared a state of emergency in the country and took control of the government, arresting State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other senior government officials from the National League for Democracy. The seizure of power, and the government’s subsequent actions to suppress public protest and dissent, have received widespread international condemnation.  The USA, Canada, and the UK have reacted by imposing economic sanctions on certain companies and individuals, and more sanctions are expected as the situation in Myanmar evolves. These sanctions pose a major concern for foreign investors with interests in Myanmar—concern which is exacerbated by the lack of clarity about the current situation on the ground. To address these issues, Lex Mundi is bringing together leading legal authorities on the topic from Myanmar, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom for a special webinar on March 23, 2021. The speakers, which include Tilleke & Gibbins counsel Ross Taylor, will discuss the situation on the ground in Myanmar; how the sanctions imposed this time differ from previous restrictions on Myanmar under earlier regimes; the impact of the sanctions imposed by each country; and the practical impact of sanctions on companies with operations in or relating to Myanmar. The session will be followed by a Q&A with all speakers, where attendees will be able to address any specific queries they might have. For more details and to register for this free webinar, please visit the event information page.