Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has announced a crackdown on the sale of counterfeit branded products online, highlighting the urgency to address the infringement of property rights, which could damage Thailand’s international reputation.
According to Phumtham, the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) has been tasked with educating small and medium enterprises about patenting their products for protection against imitation. The agency also plans to promote more GI (geographical indication) products to leverage Thailand’s soft power globally.
DIP Director-General Vuttikrai Leewiraphan detailed a forthcoming memorandum of understanding between 30 copyright owners and three leading online platforms – Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop. The agreement is expected to enhance the fight against piracy, allowing direct reporting of infringements.
The DIP is also collaborating with Facebook to develop tools for identifying and removing counterfeit products, aiming to address copyright violations on the platform. To date, 960 items violating copyrights have been removed from these platforms. (NNT)
