Thailand has quickly become the country to watch in the pharmaceutical field since the Thai Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) stepped in and issued compulsory licenses on various key patented drugs. The attempts of the MoPH to intervene in the pharmaceutical market have attracted considerable attention from governments, stakeholders, and various interest groups and experts around the world.

Reports have circulated of life insurance policyholders being defrauded by unscrupulous insurance agents. The good news is that under recent amendments to the Life Insurance Act, policyholders are now being given more protection. The bad news is that restrictions on foreign ownership, which were rejected amid much controversy with respect to the Alien Business Act, were nonetheless incorporated into the new legislation. This article discusses both the positive and the negative aspects of the amended law.

The new Labor Protection Act 2008, which came into force on May 27, 2008, provides better protection to employees than its predecessor. This article provides an overview of the new statutory requires and recommends that employers take the necessary actions to amend their Work Rules accordingly.

Successful marketing campaigns revolve around memorable advertising to create product differentiation. Because successful marketing ideas are likely to be emulated—if not directly reproduced—by competitors, it is important for brand owners to incorporate an intellectual property element into their marketing strategies. This article reviews the forms of IP protection that can be sought for various components of an advertising campaign.

By employing a case study (in which the names and facts are fictional), this article offers insights into the administration of estates in Thailand. Specifically, it demonstrates how the Thai courts may deal with a Will that was in another jurisdiction when a Thai spouse contests validity. The lesson learned from this case study is that expatriates living in Thailand with assets in both Thailand and another jurisdiction would be well advised to consider having two Wills which are carefully drafted to ensure that each is limited to the assets in each respective jurisdiction.

Approximately a year ago, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, led by the former Minister Dr. Mongkol na Songkla, decided to resort to compulsory licenses as a solution to improving access to medicines in Thailand.

Until very recently, wholly foreign-owned companies that established themselves in Vietnam for the purpose of importing their products from their overseas affiliates were only permitted to market each category of product through a single Vietnamese distributor. That restriction has just been relaxed. A new regulation authorizes foreign-owned import companies (both joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned companies) to sell their imported goods to multiple Vietnamese distributors instead of a single distributor as previously restricted.

Intellectual property infringement has been a problem in Thailand for a number of years. Despite collaboration between the government and the private sector, counterfeiters have demonstrated an ability to adapt and evolve, allowing them to withstand efforts at suppression. Over 2000 cases, mainly trademark infringement, are brought to justice each year, but a large volume of counterfeit goods finds its way to market and is exported. Infringement activities are often related to other crimes, resulting in a complex web of legal, economic, and social problems.