Counterfeit goods are destroyed in Pathum Thani province on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. (Phto: VNA) Deputy director-general of the Intellectual Property Department JittimaSrithaporn was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying that the departmentrecently had discussions with the Royal Thai Police, the Department of SpecialInvestigation, the Customs Department, owners of trading areas, and intellectualproperty (IP) owners to set guidelines for the supervision, protection andsuppression of IP violations.
According to Jittima, inspections will be more stringent, especially in redzones and notorious markets where pirated products are widely available. Theyinclude tourist destinations popular with foreigners such as Patong beach inPhuket, Silom Road in Bangkok and Koh Samui island in Surat Thaniprovince.
“After the country's reopening on June 1 to support tourism, a flood of foreigntourists is anticipated. Sales of pirated products may rebound in tourist areasfollowing the reopening,” she told the newspaper.
"The department, in cooperation with partners in the public and private sectors,wants to intensify measures to prevent and suppress IP violations,"Jittima said, adding that they are also committed to moving ahead with measuresto prevent infringement of online IP rights.
In January 2021, the department signed a memorandum of understanding on theprotection of online IP rights with the Business Development Department, largeinternational online platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and JD Central, and 25owners of IP rights, both Thai and foreign.
According to Jittima, the cooperation has resulted in the dramatic reduction ofsales of products that infringe on IP via the three major online platforms.
She also said that 734 arrests were made in the first five months of this year,adding that the number of seized articles totaled 438,072 pieces, down by 88.2%compared with the same period last year./.
VNA
