South-East Asia IPR Basics Series: Using Thai Customs to Protect IPRs

creative picture3Customs agencies can be an IP rights holder’s best friend when it comes to detecting and preventing the movement of infringing goods from one jurisdiction to another.

This article looks into the organisations and systems in place in Thailand which IP rights holders can exploit to better protect their products from infringement. This is an area which is often overlooked but can provide a powerful weapon against piracy and counterfeit product exports.

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South-East Asia IPR Basics Series: Patent Law in Thailand

Mech Eng 2Patents grant rights holders exclusive rights to exploit an invention or process and prevent others from benefiting from this novel idea for a limited period of time (usually around 20 years).

Thailand has a comprehensive framework of legal protection for patents, which are split into two categories; invention patents, and utility model patents. This article explores the laws in place in Thailand protecting these rights, as well as the procedures required for registration, and the options available to rights holders in the event of infringement on Thai soil.

If you’d like even more information on how to protect and enforce your patents in Thailand, read our guides, or get in touch with our Helpdesk experts for free, in-depth advice, tailored to your needs.

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In Vino Veritas: The Next Vintage – The Future of Wine Anti-Counterfeiting

shutterstock_85240996Wine counterfeiting in China is at a critical stage for the European wine industry. In recent years we have had a taste of what Chinese consumption means to the European producers, with over a quarter of a billion litres of European wine consumed annually by what represents only a fraction of the potential market in China. As the market moves from commodity and gift wines to drinking ‘table’ wine, so do the counterfeiters, flooding supermarkets and restaurants with wines bearing (often validly registered) appellation marks which have no connection to the liquid inside the bottle.

Chinese palates are at a crucial developmental stage, and exposure to poor quality counterfeits of European wine not only damages profits, but also poisons the reputation of European producers in the Chinese marketplace. Competition with domestic producers is already fierce, and Europe’s wine industry can no longer afford to stand by and let this threat go unchallenged.

In today’s article we look back at some of the key points raised over the course of this series, as well as reiterating some of the key points raised by the experts who were instrumental in the creation of this series. For more of the In Vino Veritas series, click here.

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In Vino Veritas: Terroir IPR Part 2: Regulatory bodies and collective action against counterfeiting

wine label-04In our previous article we discussed wine’s history as a product heavily reliant on geography, soil quality, and climate, or terroir for its unique characteristics, the resultant importance of regional classifications, and the legal protection available for producers based in distinctive wine regions. In this article we’ll be looking at how certain regulatory bodies and wine associations can, and in some cases already do, help producers to protect the reputations of their brands. Finally we’ll look at how the wine industry can come together to tackle the counterfeiting industry which continues to damage the sales and reputation of this much loved beverage.

As always, if you have any questions, get in touch with our experts here.

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South-East Asia IPR Basics Series: IPR for the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Industries in the Philippines

MP900316320The mechanical and electrical engineering industries produce the components and products which carry us to and from work, power our phones, play our music, and facilitate every aspect of the modern lifestyle. In the Philippines, these industries form the lion’s share of bilateral trade with the EU.

Today we will examine some critical IP issues for SMEs operating in these industries in the Philippines as well as how to overcome those issues.

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