Thailand tightens piracy inspections
Thai authority has pledged to tighten its inspection of counterfeit goods, especially in tourist destinations, as they are projected to increase rapidly after the country’s reopening.
Counterfeit goods are destroyed in Pathum Thani province on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. (Phto: VNA)Deputy director-general of the Intellectual Property Department Jittima Srithaporn was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying that the department recently had discussions with the Royal Thai Police, the Department of Special Investigation, the Customs Department, owners of trading areas, and intellectual property (IP) owners to set guidelines for the supervision, protection and suppression of IP violations.
According to Jittima, inspections will be more stringent, especially in red zones and notorious markets where pirated products are widely available. They include tourist destinations popular with foreigners such as Patong beach in Phuket, Silom Road in Bangkok and Koh Samui island in Surat Thani province.
“After the country's reopening on June 1 to support tourism, a flood of foreign tourists is anticipated. Sales of pirated products may rebound in tourist areas following 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 measures to prevent infringement of online IP rights.
In January 2021, the department signed a memorandum of understanding on the protection of online IP rights with the Business Development Department, large international online platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and JD Central, and 25 owners of IP rights, both Thai and foreign.
According to Jittima, the cooperation has resulted in the dramatic reduction of sales 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./.
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