Thailand remains on the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) watch list, in its annual report on the adequacy and effectiveness of US trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights.
Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property Director-General Wuttikrai Leeveeraphan said USTR placed Thailand among 23 countries on its watch list, or countries that merit bilateral attention to address underlying IP problems.
He said USTR acknowledged the Thai government and the Ministry of Commerce for their continued efforts in the protection of intellectual property and transparent communication between the government and the private sector overseas. It did, however, raise concerns that Thailand still lacked proper protection of intellectual property in certain channels, such as via the internet.
Mr. Wuttikrai added that Thailand is planning to join the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs and the World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty, to upgrade the country’s intellectual property system to the international level. The department will also work with related authorities in the US to draw up an efficient work plan regarding intellectual property, to get Thailand removed from the USTR Watch List in the future.
