To promote and develop Thailand’s growing insurance industry and prepare for greater market activity under the Asean Economic Community, the government recently amended the laws governing the country’s life and non-life insurance industries for the third time. Formally known as the Life Insurance Act No. 3 of 2015 and the Non-Life Insurance Act No. 3 of 2015, the amendments took effect on March 6, seven years after the previous amendments were made. The changes can be divided into three main parts as follows:

In early 2015, Vietnamese authorities continued their stepped-up IP enforcement campaigns, showing a commitment to improve the IPR situation against the backdrop of TPP and EU FTA negotiations. Notable cases included:Trade Name Infringement Precedent

Over the past 20 years since its enactment, the Thai Copyright Act B.E. 2537 (A.D. 1994) has remained unchanged, despite numerous attempts by legislators to modernize the law. As a result, Thailand’s copyright law is out of date, and legal measures to combat piracy are inadequate.In late 2014, however, the National Legislative Assembly passed two copyright bills into law. They were published in the Royal Gazette  on February 5, 2015, and will take effect 180 days after publication.

Vietnam is home to more than 90 million people. With its large population and an expanding economy, the country has become an attractive market for pharmaceutical companies. Since local drug producers have not yet acquired sufficient research and development capabilities, they fight an uphill battle against international drug innovators. Under the circumstances, a number of local companies have resorted to patent infringement in an attempt to regain market share.

Counterfeiters in Thailand often refill genuine packaging and containers with unauthorized products, thus passing off the goods as genuine commodities. This problem is widespread. Refilled goods don’t pass through regulatory standards or quality control and so they can have harmful effects on consumers.In Thailand, refilled products generally fall into two categories:products for consumption, such as fish sauce and liquor; andcommodities, such as shampoos, toner and ink cartridges, and lubricants.

Vietnam’s IP Law is fairly liberal on the rights to register marks. Under the law, any organization or individual has the right to register marks to be used for goods they produce or services they provide. In practice, except for collective marks or certification marks, which are strictly regulated, anyone (legal entities or individuals) can apply for a trademark or a service mark for any kind of goods or services, as the trademark office does not request any documents showing their legal status or intention of use at the time of filing.

In its plenary session of February 9 2015, the Indonesian House of Representatives declared that 37 key bills would be prioritized for deliberation in 2015. Much to the delight of IP stakeholders, Indonesia’s Trademark and Patent Bills were among the 37 prioritized bills set to be passed this year.The Trademark Bill is particularly significant, as it will include, among other things:

When the Thai government enacted the Private Investments in State Undertakings Act B.E. 2556 (2013) (PISUA)—a new law regulating public-private partnerships (PPPs) that was designed to streamline and clarify the PPP process and thereby boost private investment, especially in the infrastructure sector—measures were introduced to increase the effectiveness and transparency of the PPP process, something previously unseen in PISUA’s predecessor, the Private Participation in State Undertakings Act B.E. 2535 (1992) (PPSUA).