Under increasing pressure from the WTO and many Western nations, Thailand is making a considerable effort to crack down on its expanding counterfeit goods trade. In the article “Thailand Tackles Role as Regional Hub for Counterfeit Goods,” Peter Janssen of Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports that Thai Customs officials have had training to spot counterfeit goods being imported from outside the country.  Wiramrudee Mokkhavesa, Attorney-at-Law with Tilleke & Gibbins, explained that “for the past few years, we’ve had good cooperation with the Customs Department.”

Despite these efforts, however, the counterfeit trade continues to grow. This growth is driven in part by the relatively light punishments imposed on offenders, as compared to the profits that can be made from IP infringement. “We’ve found in the past that some people were leaving the drug trade and getting into the counterfeit trade instead because the difference was risking a jail sentence or a slap on the wrist. And the profit margins are higher,” said David Lyman, Chairman & Chief Values Officer of Tilleke & Gibbins.

This article can be found online through the Monsters and Critics website.