BANGKOK – After the Thai government took stringent measure against pirated products, the U.S. Trade Representative has finally taken Thailand off the list of countries responsible for the sale of pirated products. However in 2019, Patpong was put on the list as it was known to be selling pirated products.
Director-General of the Department of Intellectual Property, Mr. Wuttikrai Leewiraphan, said it was glad to see the government and related sectors have been seriously dealing with pirated goods with incidental support from COVID-19 which has made all markets quiet. However, The Department of Intellectual Property and law enforcing sectors are still taking proactive action. The department will coordinate with government agencies and the private sector to trace pirated products identified in various areas both in Bangkok and other provinces, in order to prevent illegal products being brought back on to the market again
Meanwhile, Thailand’s online market remains accused of selling pirated products, which the Department of Intellectual Property will soon address, while working with online platforms to eliminate the practice.
Recently, the department also signed MOUs with the three largest online market platforms – Shopee, Lazada, and JD Central – to prevent illegal products from being sold on their platforms.
Eliminating pirated products is the key to gaining the confidence of foreign investors and drawing them into doing business in Thailand. (NNT)
