Thailand to launch online IP arbitration service
Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) is set to launch an online IP dispute settlement service in January 2021.
The service, developed with the Thai Arbitration Institute, will assist cases related to copyright, patent, and trademark infringement.
Minister of commerce Jurin Laksanawisit said that the settlement service will help reduce the burden on all parties from legal challenges. Since 2002, there have been 621 disputes, with 331 cases (54%) successfully settled.
Parties using the online service will have to agree to a mutual confidentiality agreement that forbids facts and evidence being shared during the process and from being used in a court filing.
“The new system will allow cases to be filed online, enabling settlement sessions via online chats and video conferences, and allowing fully online formal settlement processes to achieve faster, more convenient agreements with less chance of confrontation between the two sides, and at a lower cost,” said a release from the National News Bureau of Thailand.
The service will be available from January 2021 on the website www.thac.or.th.
According to the Bangkok Post, justice minister Somsak Thepsuthin said the project was a step towards achieving the justice ministry's goal of making Thailand a "regional hub for arbitration".
Singapore is also looking to cement its status as a hub for alternative dispute resolution (ADR). In October, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) united with the Singapore International Mediation Centre to promote the use of mediation in the IP and technology sector.
In August last year, members of the United Nations signed the Singapore Convention on Mediation, which created a global framework that will increase the enforceability of settlement agreements that arise out of mediation.
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has also partnered with WIPO to offer reduced rates to businesses and creators that opt for mediation as an ADR to resolve copyright disputes in Singapore.
For a more in-depth look at ADR, click here to read “ The Right Remedy”, an article published in the INTA Daily News.
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