International news media have recently been covering the resignation of Suphat Saguandeekul, the deputy director-general of Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), following his arrest in Japan for the theft of three paintings from a hotel in Tokyo. Updating the international IP community on the news, World Trademark Review  has published a detailed story on the issue.

Amid the public outcry about the incident, WTR  sought out comment from Darani Vachanavuttivong, co-managing partner and managing director, intellectual property, at Tilleke & Gibbins. “While we cannot speak for the broader IP community of Thailand, Tilleke & Gibbins regrets that these very unusual circumstances led to the resignation of Mr. Suphat Saquandeekul—he was a qualified, responsible official, who was an asset to Thailand’s IP community,” Darani said.

Turning to the issue of the broader impact on public perception of Thailand’s DIP, Darani continued: “We don’t expect this incident to affect the DIP’s reputation. Working alongside officials from the DIP every day, we know they are strongly committed to improving IP protection and ensuring that Thailand grows into an IP leader in Asia. This one unfortunate incident should not harm the otherwise stellar reputation of Thailand’s DIP.”

To read the full story, please visit the WTR website.