The Department of Intellectual Property advises Thai entrepreneurs to register and protect trademarks and patents before exporting goods to prevent their brands from intellectual property infringements overseas.
Oramon Supthaweetham, Director-General of the Department of Intellectual Property, spoke about protecting Thai intellectual property abroad, especially when participating in international trade fairs. She said the department focuses on educating entrepreneurs to register intellectual property protections before exporting or introducing products./Participating in international trade fairs, such as registering trademarks for brands and patents for technology and innovations in target export countries, as well as protecting rights when infringements are found abroad. The department has collaborated with foreign intellectual property agencies to address issues, particularly trademark infringements.
“Entrepreneurs planning to export should register their trademarks in target countries to prevent others from filing or preemptively registering identical or similar trademarks, and to avoid risks if others use their trademarks without permission.”
Additionally, to reassure entrepreneurs exhibiting or selling products at international trade fairs that their intellectual property won’t be infringed, event organizers are recommended to set policies and conditions requiring displayed products to be genuine—not counterfeit, imitated, or falsely claiming others’ trademarks that could cause confusion—and to establish processes for reporting infringements and promptly taking action against offenders, such as temporarily suspending exhibits or applying other appropriate measures.
If Thai entrepreneurs find their trademarks infringed or discover others registering identical or similar brands overseas, they should promptly:
To reduce the burden and facilitate SMEs, the Department of Intellectual Property recommends using the "Madrid Protocol," an efficient international trademark registration system.
Advantages of the Madrid Protocol: entrepreneurs can file a single application in one language and pay one fee to obtain trademark protection in up to 132 member countries worldwide, including the United States, European Union, China, Japan, and Australia, significantly saving costs and simplifying procedures.
Furthermore, the department has launched the "Trademark Monitor" project, inviting Thai SMEs to join a monitoring system to check if their brands are being fraudulently registered overseas, helping rights holders respond promptly and file timely objections under legal procedures.
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