On April 7, Tilleke & Gibbins, in collaboration with the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lao PDR and the South-East Asia IP SME Helpdesk, offered a webinar titled “Intellectual Property in Lao PDR.” In the webinar, Dino Santaniello, head of Tilleke & Gibbins’ office in Laos, gave an introduction to the Lao regulatory and legal framework for trademarks, and then focused on a few common areas of concern for international businesses looking to do business in Laos. These specific topics included: How to register and enforce trademarks in Laos; Parallel import issues; and Franchise and license agreements. The session helped increase awareness of the value of intellectual property and risk mitigation strategies. Attendees were also able to address their questions to Dino, who provided guidance based on his extensive experience with the regulatory regime for intellectual property in Laos.

Tiziana Sucharitkul, managing partner and director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group, provided in-depth insights on diversity and inclusion and law firms for a recent article in Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ) on diversity and inclusion in law firms across Asia. In the article, which was published on March 30, 2022, Tiziana offers insights gained in her years in senior leadership at Tilleke & Gibbins and as a longtime advocate for law firm diversity and inclusion initiatives. The article begins by contrasting the demand for greater diversity among Western law firms—especially by corporate counsel—with attitudes in Asia, where questions of expertise and service often take precedence when it comes to legal work. The writer then quickly shifts to investigating the reasons for this, as well as exploring the current state of diversity in the Asian legal industry today. This section of the article leads with Tiziana’s explanation that leadership of Asian law firms are in a very different context than the social tensions that catalyzed many diversity initiatives in the West. However, this does not necessarily mean that diverse representation has lagged in this part of the world. Rather, as Tiziana points out, “Southeast Asian countries have some of the highest proportions of women in senior business leadership in the world.” She also notes that markers such as gender diversity and respect for minority rights can vary widely across Asia. Elsewhere in the article, other senior law firm leaders express similar observations and provide details on the diversity challenges in their countries of focus. For example, an expert on diversity in the Indian legal profession notes that local diversity concerns must also consider caste discrimination, and a partner at a global firm in Singapore speaks about the challenges of developing diversity policies that fit each local context. Tiziana

At the annual general meeting of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) on March 24, Pimvimol (June) Vipamaneerut, a partner in the firm’s corporate and commercial group in Bangkok, was elected as IPBA’s jurisdictional committee member for Thailand. In the role, Pimvimol will be responsible for membership issues in Thailand, and will be the key point of contact for matters concerning activities in the jurisdiction. She will serve as Thailand’s jurisdictional committee member for three years (2022–2025). The IPBA is a prestigious international association of business and commercial attorneys active or with a strong interest in the Pacific region. The IPBA has a membership of more than 1,500 legal professionals from over 65 countries and jurisdictions. Through its activities, the IPBA provides lawyers interested in the Asia-Pacific with opportunities to discuss legal, business, and policy issues affecting the region and grow in their legal practice through professional networking. For more information on the IPBA and its activities, please visit the IPBA website.

On April 7, Dino Santaniello, head of Tilleke & Gibbins’ office in Laos, will offer a webinar titled “Intellectual Property in Lao PDR”—an event organized by the European Chamber of Commerce in Laos, the South-East Asia IP SME Helpdesk, and Tilleke & Gibbins. The event will highlight the importance of intellectual property among entrepreneurs active in Laos and will offer practical strategies for protecting intellectual property. During the virtual session, Dino will provide an overview of the intellectual property landscape in Laos, particularly since the formation of ASEAN Economic Community in 2015. The presentation will cover for main areas: An introduction to Laos’ regulatory and legal framework for intellectual property, Recent updates on trademarks and other intellectual property, Trademark registration and enforcement in Laos, and Parallel imports, franchising, and license agreements. To register for this event, please click this link.