US will have out-of-cycle review on Thailand’s intellectual property protection

NONTHABURI, Sept 16 (TNA) -- The United States will have an Out-of-Cycle Review (OCR) on Thailand’s protection of intellectual property and is likely to announce the result late this year, Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said. The minister said she learned the movement from her meeting with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Sept 15. She said the US representative praised Thailand for serious crackdowns on pirate products and the US would conduct the OCR to find out if Thailand should be removed from its Priority Watch List (PWL). Thailand has been in the list for 11 years. Ms Apiradi said she informed the US trade representative of Thailand’s serious crackdowns on pirate products nationwide and the movement already cleared pirate products from shopping centres and markets including the MBK shopping center in Bangkok and the Rong Kluea market in Sa Kaeo province. She also told the US representative that Thailand adopted the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol), cleared backlogs of applications for patents and trademarks, improved copyright laws and solved US concerns on transparency and the participation of stakeholders. According to the commerce minister, the US will spend one month gathering written opinions from stakeholders. The Commerce Ministry will also send its written opinion on the occasion and expects a result of the OCR late this year. If Thailand is removed from the PWL, it will develop positive image and atmosphere for trade and investment, especially those concerning industries driven by intellectual property, Ms Apiradi said. (TNA)