BANGKOK, 5 September 2011 – The Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) has asked related units to help collate a list of local wisdoms in order to file them in a proper database to prevent inappropriate and unauthorised usage.
According to DIP Director-General Pajchima Thanasanti, foreigners often bring a number of Thai local wisdoms for use on commercial purposes such as the use of Thai herbs as ingredients in medicinal products. They sometimes smuggle out genes of Thai plants and take out a patent on them outside the country without informing the Thai government.
The DIP hence encourages all related units to collate list of Thai local wisdoms to be kept in a database to help protect Thai intellectual property; therefore, any inappropriate usage of Thai intellectual heritage can be detected while negotiations on benefit-sharing in case of commercial use can be made.
At present, no central database is made because the issue involves several government agencies. The DIP will push forward amendment of laws on Thai local wisdoms to ensure better protection under the supervision of a central agency.
The DIP will try to set an international protection standard on Thai local wisdoms by negotiating with major world organizations such as the World Trade Organisation and the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
