Intellectual property (IP) protection and the awareness of intellectual property rights (IPRs) in Laos have been increasing recently due to the support of the Lao government, which expressly recognizes the importance of IP to the country’s ambitions for modernization, industrialization, and developing the country’s regional and global status. Such attitudes are reflected in policy statements and strategic planning goals, and local authorities are growing more supportive toward the enforcement of IPRs in Laos.

WIPO’s Madrid System, which provides an alternative to filing trademark applications through the traditional national route, has been an option for global brand owners seeking trademark protection in Thailand since November 7, 2017. As of October 2019, more than 15,000 international registrations (IRs) designating Thailand have been filed and processed at the International Bureau, which suggests a positive reception of the system by brand owners.

Websites offering pirated content can inflict tremendous damage on copyright holders, but due to the simplicity of sharing digital content in today’s high-speed, always-connected online environment, copyright protection poses serious challenges to both rights holders and government authorities.

This article was first published on Franchising Insider—a blog maintained by US Law Firm Quarles & Brady LLP—and was co-authored by Jay Cohen, partner and director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ Phnom Penh office; Mealtey Oeurn, an advisor in Tilleke & Gibbins’ Phnom Penh Office; and Robert A.