Thailand has made significant progress in strengthening the protection of intellectual property in the country, the government has told the United States. The conversation, held on the sidelines during bilateral talks during this year’s APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting in Bangkok was reported by the Bangkok Post.  

Speaking after the two-way meeting with United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit said in May that the government cited the significant progress Thailand has made in strengthening the protection of intellectual property. 

With the kingdom poised to become a member of the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT), it has urged Washington to review the country’s status during an assessment this coming September, he told the newspaper. 

In this year’s USTR Special 301 Report, which was released on April 30, the United States urged Thailand to continue improving enforcement measures and ensure that amendments to its Copyright Act address concerns expressed by the U.S. and other foreign governments and stakeholders. 

Citing technological advancements as a major detriment to IP protection, the report mentions that Thailand is among many jurisdictions with “high levels of online piracy” and which “lack effective enforcement.”  

The USTR’s Special 301 Report does give Thailand credit for being on the right track in many regards: the interagency National Committee on Intellectual Property and a subcommittee on enforcement against IP infringement, led by the prime minister and the deputy prime minister, respectively, “have significantly improved coordination among government entities,” the report said. Meanwhile, the Department of Intellectual Property “continued to carry out various IP awareness activities, including the Go for Real campaign in conjunction with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to enhance awareness among high school and university students.” 

All of this should keep intellectual property lawyers in Thailand busy; they will continue to have ample opportunities to advise their domestic and foreign clients alike on patent, trademark and other forms of IP rights protection. 

With this continuing interest in intellectual property protection in Thailand, we turned to IP professionals in the region in order to understand better what clients need today. Asia IP asked a large number of professionals – mostly in-house counsel and corporate legal managers – what they were looking for from their legal service providers. From their answers, we have compiled our list of Thailand’s IP Experts, those lawyers who understand just what their clients need and are able to provide them with the best practical advice.  

Today’s clients are looking for more than just a degree from a top-notch university and a couple of decades of practice. In order to be an outstanding provider of intellectual property advice, a lawyer must also be capable of understanding how intellectual property impacts the rest of his client’s business, and be able to provide practical, real-world, business-savvy advice. She must be able to provide sound advice on the current law, but also needs to be able to understand coming trends which are likely to impact her client’s business. 

Unlike days past when she might have played just a bit role, today’s IP Expert is every bit a full-fledged team member. 

The largest IP firms and practices in Thailand are, not surprisingly, well-represented on our list, but regional powerhouse Tilleke & Gibbins placed a whopping nine lawyers in the Top 50. Other firms among the top placers include Domnern Somgiat & Boonma and Satyapon & Partners, each of which placed five lawyers on the list; Baker McKenzie and Rouse, each with four lawyers on the list; and Ananda Intellectual Property and SCL Nishimura & Asahi, each of which placed three lawyers on the list. 

The list also contains a number of lawyers from small, upcoming firms (iLAWASIA, The Legal, X Ventures) and established regional firms which have recently entered the Thai IP marker (Rajah & Tann, S&O IP). 

Our survey includes only those lawyers working at law firms in Thailand. 

Most of the lawyers named to our list have multiple practice specialties. Many of them are litigators, while others concentrate on prosecution work or provide strategic advice.  

All of them have something in common: they are experts in their fields and, in one way or another, they provide extra value for their clients. They are Asia IP’s IP Experts for Thailand.