On October 13, Alan Adcock, partner and deputy director of the firm’s intellectual property and regulatory affairs groups in Bangkok, and Thomas J. Treutler, managing director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ offices in Vietnam, represented the firm in the virtual IP Life Sciences Conference 2021. Life sciences specialists from around the world attended the conference, which was organized to provide patent owners in the life sciences industry with pertinent information and updates relating to patent disputes and litigation in key jurisdictions. During their presentations on local Thai and Vietnamese legal regulations, Alan and Thomas offered insights on policies and risks relating to injunctions in patent disputes, the most successful patent litigation strategies in each respective country, and the cost of litigation versus the practical business benefits of patent protection.

On Thursday, October 21, 2021, two attorneys from the intellectual property department in Tilleke & Gibbins’ Bangkok office will present a Thai-language webinar on the importance of trademarks for garment manufacturers. Ploynapa Julagasigorn, senior associate, and Waralee Sripawadkul, associate, will team up to address trademark registration in Thailand and abroad. In the first part of the webinar, Ploynapa will cover trademark registration in Thailand, focusing especially on the importance of trademark registration, legal rights, distinctive qualities of successful trademarks, procedures, registration duration, and enforcement.  She will also outline procedures in civil trials, criminal trials, and alternative dispute resolution. Waralee will then present on trademark registration in other countries. She will explain the importance of a trademark validation outside of Thailand, discuss application requirements, advise on how to properly prepare an application, and share practical advice on issues that brand owners should be aware of. This webinar, which is organized in conjunction with the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association (TGMA), will provide brand owners with a clear understanding of how to acquire trademark protection in order to fully protect their intellectual property in Thailand and internationally. Attendance is free for TGMA members and THB 700 for nonmembers. To attend, please complete the webinar registration form.

On September 16, 2021, the Thailand Recognized Group of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA) elected councilors and standing committee members for the new term, and six attorneys from Tilleke & Gibbins across nearly all IP practices won places on APAA Thailand’s various committees and executive bodies: Darani Vachanavuttivong – APAA Thailand Council Wiramrudee (Pink) Mokkhavesa – Anti-counterfeiting Committee Sukontip Jitmongkolthong – Copyright Committee Napagate Ratana – Design Committee Suebsiri Taweepon – Emerging IP Rights Committee Peeyakorn Suparugbundit – Patent Committee The APAA advocates for intellectual property protection throughout Asia by fostering connections among IP professionals and organizations, cooperating with other organizations in the region, and arranging activities for members to promote understanding of IP laws in Asia. For more information on the APAA, please see the APAA website.

The Cambodia chapter of the ASEAN Intellectual Property Association (ASEAN IPA) recently held elections for the leadership team for the 2021–2023 term, and on September 16, it was confirmed that Sokmean Chea, an associate in Tilleke & Gibbins’ Cambodia office, has been reelected as a councilor of the association. The ASEAN IPA—of which Darani Vachanavuttivong, co-managing partner of Tilleke & Gibbins, is the president—promotes intellectual property issues and the importance of enforcing intellectual property rights in the ASEAN region. The association builds cooperation and understanding among legal and business experts who are concerned with intellectual property in the ASEAN countries, in order to encourage the development and protection of intellectual property in the ASEAN countries. Each country in ASEAN has its own national chapter, charged with carrying out the ASEAN IPA mission on a national level and marshalling support for the association’s regional initiatives. As one of three councilors on the five-person ASEAN IP Cambodia executive leadership team, Sokmean will provide guidance and oversight of the Cambodia chapter’s activities for the 2021–2023 term. For more information about the ASEAN IPA, please see the ASEAN IPA website.