Thailand promotes ePCT system for faster, cheaper international patents
19 November 2025
Photo credit by DPMA
Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) has partnered with the World Intellectual Property Organization to train local businesses and creators on securing international patent protection through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
The initiative targets the private sector, educational institutions, inventors and legal practitioners, aiming to build understanding of the PCT system and promote ePCT, an online filing platform designed to make the overseas patenting process faster and more affordable.
DIP Director General Oramon Sapthaweetham explained that the PCT system streamlines the process of seeking patent protection in multiple countries. Instead of filing separate applications in different jurisdictions, applicants can file a single international application and designate any of the 158 PCT member states, which include key Thai export markets such as China, Japan, the United States and the European Union. This approach saves time and reduces initial costs.
The director general emphasized that patents are critical to national economic development, as they not only shield creations from imitation but also incentivize new research and support industrial competitiveness on a global scale.
A significant focus of the training was the ePCT platform, which enables online submissions, two-way document exchange and real-time status tracking. The system offers fee discounts of up to B13,000 (US$400) per application. Thailand has already seen strong adoption, with over 80 percent of its PCT applications being filed through ePCT, reflecting the system’s efficiency. The DIP has set ambitious goals for 100 percent ePCT adoption and at least 100 PCT applications filed by Thai applicants annually, to expand global protection for local innovation, facilitate technology transfer and drive sustainable economic growth.
Since Thailand joined the PCT in 2009, Thai applicants have filed over 1,100 international applications. The most frequently chosen destinations for protection are Japan, the EU, and the U.S., with leading technology fields including electrical machinery, macromolecular chemistry and basic material chemistry.
The PCT system is also a major gateway for foreign entities seeking protection in Thailand, accounting for 7,000 entries – about 75 percent of all patent applications filed in the country annually – led by applicants from Japan, the U.S., and China.
- Excel V. Dyquiangco
