Statement from Ambassador Ralph Boyce

Welcome to U.S. Embassy Bangkok’s Intellectual Property Rights Toolkit, designed to assist the American business community to protect their rights in Thailand.  We recognize that most small- and medium-sized firms may not have an in-house lawyer, and therefore this guide is primarily aimed at those business managers who would like an introduction to intellectual property issues in Thailand before seeking expert counsel on more specific concerns.

Whether it is a copyright of a bestselling book, a patent on a breakthrough technology, or a trademark of a valuable brand, your intellectual property is critical to your business's overall success. You should be well aware, however, when doing business abroad that other unscrupulous businesses may try to steal your intellectual property, rather than devoting the necessary time and money into research and development of their own.  Unfortunately, this threat is present in Thailand, creating significant problems for many businesses.  

At the U.S. Embassy, we take intellectual property rights protection very seriously.  Officials from the Departments of State, Justice, Commerce, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are stationed at the Embassy to work on intellectual property issues in Thailand.  We work very closely with Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property, law enforcement agencies, the local legal community and industry associations to help strengthen intellectual property rights protection and enforcement.

Don't let these concerns scare you away: Thailand is still a great place to do business.  Just recognize that you may encounter some difficulties, including the protection of your intellectual property, and when you have problems, our commercial and economic teams at the Embassy stand ready to assist you in any way that we can.

I wish you and your business great success in Thailand.

Sincerely,

Eric G. John

To down load IPR Toolkit for the Kingdom of Thailand, please click here