The Thai government and the relevant authorities are modernizing procedural requirements for companies, in order to make it easier to do business in Thailand. In 2014, the Announcement of the National Council for Peace and Order No. 74/2557 on Teleconferences through Electronic Devices (Order 74/2557), and the Announcement of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology on Security Standards for Teleconferences through Electronic Devices B.E.

On February 24, 2017, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke to the nation and discussed the 12,000+ patent applications before the Thai Patent Office that are currently being processed and awaiting final decision on whether they will be granted. With Thailand having one of the world’s longest patent pendency periods, the Prime Minister noted that this matter must be addressed urgently.

More and more intellectual property infringement is shifting from physical locations to digital or online venues. Internet user can easily offer counterfeit products for sale through social media or social networks, or upload pirated movies on to websites. In most cases, it is challenging to trace back the infringement activity to catch the actual infringer behind a fake username.

Vietnamese authorities have stepped up their efforts to enforce IP rights in recent years, particularly in 2016, and especially in the area of combating counterfeit goods.

Thailand’s Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) has issued new notifications concerning the criteria, procedures, and conditions for (1) offering insurance policies for sale through electronic channels, (2) using electronic means as part of the sale of policies, (3) issuing policies through electronic channels, and (4) paying compensation for claims through electronic channels (Notifications). The Notifications will come into effect on August 26, 2017 (180 days after publication in the Government Gazette).

Fraud poses a major problem not only for its victims, but also for the economy as a whole. Today we are seeing more and more cases of large-scale and serious acts of fraud in the headlines. Indeed, with the rapid communications and transactions that take place around the world every day, fraudulent statements, asset misappropriation, white-collar crime, Ponzi schemes, and corruption can occur at any time in any jurisdiction.

Under Thailand 4.0, renewable energy is a key priority for innovation. Cognizant that dependence on imported fossil fuels is not only economically and ecologically unsustainable, but also exposes the country to the unpredictability of global commodity markets, the Thai government embarked on a power development plan in May 2015 (PDP 2015).

The National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) of Vietnam will begin accepting Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) requests again on April 3, 2017.As reported last year, the NOIP signed a PPH agreement with the Japanese Patent Office to provide a new avenue for accelerated patent examination in Vietnam. The pilot program is scheduled to last for three years, from April 1, 2016, until March 31, 2019, and is limited to 100 PPH requests per year.