On January 21, 2022, Tilleke & Gibbins hosted a Chinese-language webinar aimed at helping clients in mainland China understand the fundamentals of Thailand’s trademark registration process. Sher Hann Chua, a consultant of the firm’s intellectual property department, led the webinar, which was titled “Trademark Registration and Prosecution in Thailand: Issues and Challenges.” During the session Sher Hann discussed the following topics: Overview of Thailand’s trademark registration procedure; Recent developments in Thailand’s trademark prosecution framework; and Common trademark registration pitfalls for Chinese companies in Thailand and how to overcome them. A video recording of the webinar (in Chinese) is available on the Tilleke & Gibbins YouTube channel.

Partner Loc Xuan Le shared his thoughts on Vietnam’s accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT), a special agreement under the Berne Convention, with a reporter from Asia IP magazine in a recent article: “In my opinion, Vietnam’s Law on Intellectual Property has already covered and satisfied WCT’s requirements, so the accession to WCT is just us acting on our commitment when we joined the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. By joining WCT, Vietnam ensures that we shall provide IP rights protection at international standards, which I believe is crucial in developing Vietnam as an attractive business destination for foreign investors.” Loc further added, “On the other hand, Vietnam has a strong and growing community of artists who generate content on the Internet daily, so the official accession of Vietnam to WCT shall provide solid legal grounds to protect Vietnamese creators in the digital era. This, in return, shall act as an incentive to promote the creative sector.” Asia IP, published by the Apex Asia Media Group, is a leading source for analysis of the IP issues facing companies in Asia, and a source of market intelligence for IP owners in the region. The full article can be read at the Asia IP website.

On December 2, Michelle Ray-Jones and Ploynapa Julagasigorn hosted a Licensing Executives Society (LES) Thailand webinar titled “IP Valuation and IP Implications of Thailand’s New Trade Competition Act.” In the first part of the webinar, Michelle introduced the webinar and emphasized the importance of IP valuation as the digital economy flourishes. Ploynapa then joined two other speakers to provide insights on the latest trends in IP valuation, highlight trademark valuation matters, and share their knowledge and experience with IP valuation, from both financial and legal perspectives. The webinar gave LES members a better understanding of the actual value of their IP assets and their brands, and facilitated greater connections among Thailand’s IP commercialization community.

On November 25, Wiramrudee (Pink) Mokkhavesa, a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ intellectual property group in Bangkok, joined a panel in an ASEAN IPA webinar titled “Online Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights.” Together the panelists discussed the impact of internet-based technologies and possible strategies for tackling infringement in the ASEAN region. Wiramrudee, who represented Thailand, was joined on the panel by speakers from Singapore and Vietnam. The webinar provided an overview of the online counterfeit trade and how it affects all types of businesses, from multinationals to SMEs, and discussed the most relevant current and future online counterfeiting threats. Panelists then exchanged views on approaches to dealing with these emerging online infringement risks to ensure that attendees are prepared to face the latest counterfeiting and infringement trends. The session concluded with a Q&A session and a closing statement by the moderator.