Statistics show that the number of civil suits concerning patent infringement cases tried by the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court (IP&IT Court), a branch of the Court of Justice in Thailand responsible for all cases involving intellectual property rights in Thailand, have increased in recent years. A total of 32 cases concerning infringement of both patent and petty patent have been filed in 2009, while, back in 2002, there were only 9 cases.  How did the number of civil suits on patent infringement jump from 9 to 32 cases?

From Enron to Bernie Madoff, numerous high-profile white-collar crimes have attracted significant media attention in recent years. Here in Thailand, the case of Rakesh Saxena has recently resurfaced in the headlines after his extradition from Canada, and he is now awaiting trial on charges of embezzling funds from the Bangkok Bank of Commerce in the mid-1990s. Why this intense public interest in white-collar crime? Some would argue that this form of crime actually causes greater damage to the injured party than many traditional crimes.

The National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam has issued an official Notice in favor of General Electric, who lodged an opposition against Vietnamese trademark application GE mancy & Device for real estate services in Class 36 under the name of Phong Thuy One-Member Co. in the Notice, the examiner concluded that the representation of GE mancy & Device would certainly result in association between the mark and General Electric in the minds of the public. The application was refused in accordance with Article 74 of the Vietnamese Law on Intellectual Property.

Colorplus Fashions, an Indian corporation, applied for registration of the mark ColorPlus (stylized) in Thailand in Class 25 for apparel products.  In examining the application, the Trademark Registrar determined that the word “colorplus” signifies colorful or high-quality colors, which is directly descriptive of the properties and/or characteristics of the applied goods.  Correspondingly, the mark was refused for registration on the grounds of nondistinctiveness.

The Trade Competition Act (TCA) seeks to maintain a fair and open market by prohibiting business operators from exerting influence through unfair trade practices.  One such unfair trade practice addressed by the TCA is exclusivity.  The TCA’s prohibitions on exclusivity apply both in cases of market dominant operators (Section 25) and in cases when two or more nondominant operators collaborate to conduct unfair market practices (Section 27). This article provides a brief introduction to the provisions.

IP practitioners in Thailand received an early Christmas gift from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that they will be able to enjoy throughout 2010 and beyond—the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) came into force in Thailand on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2009. This long-awaited present delighted Thai patent owners and practitioners, as it fulfills several important needs. This article examines the procedures for and expected impact of the PCT in Thailand.

The legal concept of fair use in copyright law has been welcomed universally, as it serves to stimulate the dissemination of information and knowledge equitably and reasonably. With the social benefits obtained from the wide dissemination of copyrighted works in mind, Thailand adopted the doctrine of fair use by providing the doctrine as an exemption of infringement in the Copyright Act 1994. Due to the lack of a clear provision on the application of fair use and limited practice of the defense in Thai courts, the scope of application of fair use doctrine remains debatable.

The 2006 Intellectual Property Law (IP Law) was amended in 2010 in response to industry demands and to meet commitments made pursuant to the Berne Convention and TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) agreement. These important amendments to the IP Law, effective January 1, 2010, have resulted in renewed registration and enforcement activities by rights holders, as discussed in this article.