The September issue of Asian Legal Business includes a story on the recent foreign dominance notification issued by Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. Building on a similar notification first issued in 2011, the new notification forbids foreign dominance in telecommunications not only through shareholding but also in management and operational roles, among others. ALB reports that the notification threatens to harm the growth of Thailand’s telecoms sector, especially with spectrum auctions on the horizon.

New legislation in the United States will help to crack down on companies that use pirated software in Thailand, according to a feature report in the Bangkok Post, published on August 19, 2012.A total of 36 U.S. states and territories have passed Unfair Competition Acts, under which action can be taken against companies that use stolen or pirated IT in the production of their goods. This applies to all goods marketed or sold in these jurisdictions, even if they are manufactured abroad.

On May 9, 2012, the USPTO Regional Intellectual Property Attaché of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok will hold a seminar on copyright issues for artists at the Bangkok office of Tilleke & Gibbins. “Art, Artists, and Copyright: Challenges Facing Artists, Educators, and Art Entrepreneurs in Art Education and Commercialization” will bring together leading experts from academic institutions, the media, publishing, and the art world to discuss the current challenges.

On February 24, Nandana Indananda of the Tilleke & Gibbins IP group gave a presentation, “Data Protection Law and Insurance Businesses,” at an event organized by SCB Life Assurance Pcl. Nandana reviewed the need to protect personal data, the legal framework for such protection under Thailand’s Constitution and related laws, and the draft Personal Data Protection Bill, which has been under review for a number of years.