A recent seminar held in Bangkok, “Shifting Sands in International Trade – Opportunities for Southeast Asian Manufacturers”, received extensive coverage in the national press. Cohosted by the Department of Intellectual Property, the Association of Thai Software Industry, and Tilleke & Gibbins, the seminar focused on IT challenges and opportunities for Thai manufacturers.

Vietnam passed a lot of new IP laws in advance of its accession to the World Trade Organization for compliance with TRIPs standards. This increased awareness of intellectual property and brought more infringers to negotiations with rights holders. But the law has loopholes and is being applied inconsistently, with regards to fines for instance. Prison sentences are short if applied at all. Cybersquatters are impossible to prosecute and no one wants to be the first to try a court battle. Despite significant legislative efforts, enforcement remains a challenge.

This updated version of The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Business Crime for 2012 is a general guide to Thailand’s laws relating to business crime and compliance issues. It includes specific types of business crime, such as money laundering, tax evasion, insider trading, fraud, embezzlement, and other related crimes. The chapter also has information regarding procedures for prosecuting business crimes, from the investigation to the sentencing and appeals process.

Given the present flooding issues in Thailand, many people have concerns about employment issues. Put simply, “If my factory is flooded, must I keep paying my employees?” As with most legal questions, the answer is not so simple.

A new notification from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is expected to have a significant impact on companies that do business with the Thai government. On August 11, 2011, the NACC issued the Notification re: Rules and Procedures Concerning the Preparation and Disclosure of Revenue and Expenses Accounts of Projects which Individuals or Juristic Entities are Contractual Parties with Government Agencies (Notification).

Updated for 2011, this annual guide published by Law Business Research provides insight on Thailand’s product liability regime in a question-and-answer format. Thailand has seen an increased number of claims under the recently passed Product Liability Act, which was designed to create a more favorable climate for product liability litigation. This trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future.

Recent trends showcase a clear intent by two of the world’s global powers to tackle corruption abroad. The United States, through the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has dramatically increased its investigation and enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). In addition, in 2010 the United Kingdom acted aggressively to address an historical weakness in its anti-bribery laws by enacting the UK Bribery Act.

Patent owners who wish to seek protection in multiple countries are often faced with many questions, as each jurisdiction may have a unique set of requirements. To answer some of these questions and simplify the process, Managing Intellectual Property has published a series of Q&A guides that introduce the relevant procedures in several key jurisdictions.