IP IDE Center opened as part of Thailand 4.0 policy

NONTHABURI, THAILAND, February 23 (TNA) - Thailand's Department of Intellectual Property, under the Ministry of Commerce, has opened its Intellectual Property Innovation Driven Enterprise Center (IP IDE Center) as a one-stop advisory venue on intellectual property rights and innovations for local business operators as part of the government's Thailand 4.0 policy. Deputy Commerce Minister Sonthirat Sonthijirawong presided over a ceremony to officially open the IP IDE Center at his ministry in Bangkok's neighboring Nonthaburi Province on Thursday. Sonthirat said intellectual property rights, modern technologies and innovations are key factors to drive ahead the Thailand 4.0 policy, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Sonthirat pointed out that SMEs now are more creative, but they still need proper information for further developing their production and services, as well as supporting more value-added innovations beneficial to their businesses. According to the deputy commerce minister, services provided at the one-stop IP IDE Center cover the analysis on a technological trend from the worldwide patents database to facilitate the development of products that meet market demands for local business operators, the preparatory support for innovative start-ups, recommendations on organizational restructuring through efficient management of intellectural property rights and the adoption of international principles on intellectual property right protection. Besides, the newly-center, which is opened Mondays-Fridays, provides an online search service for worldwide technologies to be used for local business operators' plans on the development of their products. The deputy commerce minister estimated that the one-stop IP IDE Center should serve 500-1,000 entrepreneurs in the first phase of its operation. (TNA)