A court writ is an order issued in writing by a court commanding the person to whom it is directed to perform or refrain from performing an act. The Thai word for court writ is maai saan. Upon receipt of a court writ, many people panic as they believe themselves to be in trouble with the law. Although that may certainly be the case as writs can be issued to inform a person that a claim has been filed against them, it is not always so as writs can also be issued to provide notice to a person that they are required to testify in court or provide documents for a court case.

A tension has arisen between the Thai tradition of freely exchanging seeds to develop new crops, on the one hand, and the development of intellectual property rights, on the other. This article summarizes the key issues raised in Thailand’s Plant Varieties Protection Act.

When acquiring an existing business, the purchase is not limited to the land, the office accessories, or the client base. In addition to these material elements of a business, the brand, trade name, and trademark or service mark are all significant components of the acquisition which must be considered. The successful case described in this article deals with a dispute over the trade name of a famous restaurant in Thailand: Rong Beer German Tawandang.

Although the Thai government’s recent compulsory license initiatives have received a great deal of media attention, the concepts underlying compulsory licensing are still widely misunderstood. This article provides an introduction to the key issues.

As the development of new innovations in the field of medical biotechnology becomes ever more rapid, the patent offices of Japan, the United States, and Europe have combined efforts to better understand and harmonize procedures and activities with respect to patent protection in this area. Thailand, however, does not seem to follow the international pattern for patentability of biotechnology-related patents. This article examines the Thai situation.

Imagine yourself standing silently with your relatives in a hospital’s ICU, staring at the still figure of a loved one lying helplessly in bed. At that moment, your greatest wish is for that loved one to be able to speak even for the last time to let you, his doctor, and everyone there know whether he would like to have his life support system and medical treatment continued, withheld, or withdrawn. Now, such an indication, or a “living will,” is recognized and can be made for the first time under Thai law. This article examines the relevant provision of the National Health Act.

Following a draft that had been originally presented for discussion since 2002, the Thai government has now enacted the Computer Crimes Act. The final version of the law has incorporated many changes from previously distributed drafts. This article provides a general overview of the new law and a commentary on significant issues which have been the subject of public questions and discussion.

Recent meetings between U.S. business interests and the Thai Ministry of Public Health painted a grim picture for the American reaction to Thailand’s broad-based imposition of compulsory licenses for patented pharmaceutical products.