A trademark opposition proceeding is a specialized legal process in which one party challenges another party’s pending trademark application. Opposition proceedings can be useful tools for third parties to protect their trademark rights, and such proceedings are often undertaken when a third party believes that a trademark filed by another party is confusingly similar to its own trademark and will cause confusion to consumers. This article examines the differing approaches to trademark opposition proceedings in Thailand and the United States, and the benefits and drawbacks of each.

As previously reported, the National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) of Vietnam began accepting Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) requests for the second year of the PPH pilot program with the Japanese Patent Office on April 3, 2017, and the number of the PPH requests was to be limited to 100. On May 24, 2017, the NOIP reported that the 100th PPH request had been filed.

The Thailand chapter of Practical Law Company’s recently published Patent Litigation Global Guide was coauthored by partner Nandana Indananda and consultant Siraprapha Rungpry at Tilleke & Gibbins. The chapter provides a high-level overview of patent disputes, including patent infringement, conditions for a declaratory judgment, invalidation proceedings, preliminary relief, and enforcement options.The following topics are covered and presented in a Q&A format:

On Wednesday, May 17, 2017, confirmation of the formal enactment of Thailand’s new Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017) was published in the Royal Gazette, the official public journal in which new laws are announced. The Act, which repeals the outdated and controversial Customs Act B.E. 2469 (1926) and its prior amendments, comes into effect 180 days from publication, and represents the culmination of many years of drafts, consultations, and sometimes contentious debate.

When an employee commits an offense against an employer or violates company work rules, the HR department usually plays a central role in advising management on how to proceed or take disciplinary action. However, sometimes HR may be unaware of, or may overlook, significant points that could impact a claim by the employee after the employer takes disciplinary action. This article will examine some common issues related to disciplinary actions that are often litigated in court.

Vietnamese software programmers have developed a strong reputation worldwide, and the government considers the software industry to be very important. As a result, this industry is booming. However, more effective intellectual property protection in the software sector is necessary to encourage further foreign investment, and to promote innovation.

As part of its membership in Lex Mundi, Tilleke & Gibbins has published an updated edition of its Guide to Doing Business in Thailand for 2019.This guide offers a broad introduction to all of the key factors for starting and operating a business in the Thai market. Issues covered include:

As the costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels decrease, new business opportunities are emerging. In addition to the traditional model of independent power producers establishing large-scale power generating facilities to sell electricity directly to public utilities, a new dynamic model of direct electricity selling is beginning to take shape.