Thailand to upgrade IPRs protection system

BANGKOK, April 30 (TNA) - Thai Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong has expressed his satisfaction with a latest US decision on maintaining the Thai Kingdom on Washington's Watch List (WL) for intellectual property rights (IPRs) protection, vowing that his ministry will keep developing the country's IPRs protection system. Sontirat made the remarks on April 29, two days after the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued its latest Special 301 Report, in which Thailand has been maintained on its WL for the IPRs protection. Sontirat told journalists that the USTR has moved up Thailand from its Priority Watch List (PWL) to the WL status for the IPRs protection since late last year and has, in its latest report, expressed its appreciation to the Thai government's policy and progress on the protection and suppression against pirated products. Sontirat said the USTR has particularly praised Thailand's national committee on IPRs, chaired by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha himself, and sub-committee on IPRs violation suppression, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, for their close monitoring and practical supervising the protection and crackdown on pirated goods by all relevant agencies in a concrete and integrated aspect. Besides, the USTR has praised Thailand for joining in the Madrid Protocol, an international treaty that allows any trademark owner to seek registration in any member country, and for upgrading the IPRs registration system to become more efficiency in less time consuming to facilitate IPRs owners, both Thai and foreigners, while also working together and regularly sending written reports to Washington on Thailand's actions on IPRs protection and crackdowns. The Thai commerce minister, meanwhile, thanked all relevant Thai agencies for their collaboration and cooperation on the protection and suppression against IPRs violations in the country, pledging that the Thai government, through his ministry, will keep cracking down on pirated products in all forms and upgrading the national IPRs protection to become more efficiency and transparency in order to enhance the national competitiveness and support national economic development and growth on the sustainable basis. (TNA)