Thailand partners with royal police to combat IP violations
04 December 2025
Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) has intensified its collaboration with the Royal Thai Police to combat intellectual property violations, aiming to strengthen trade confidence, attract investment and align the country with international IP standards.
Auramon Supthaweethum, director general of the DIP, announced that the two agencies are stepping up coordinated efforts to address both online and offline infringement. The initiative also seeks to help remove Thailand from the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) notorious markets list under the Special 301 Report, which identifies markets known for widespread counterfeit goods.
Following discussions with Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, deputy commissioner general of the Royal Thai Police, Supthaweethum highlighted several priority actions, including:
- Developing investigation strategies and expanding operations to dismantle production, storage, and distribution networks for counterfeit goods in Bangkok and across the provinces.
- Targeting high-risk “notorious markets” identified by the USTR to address infringement at its source.
- Advocating for the termination of lease agreements in shopping malls where tenants are found selling counterfeit products.
To improve enforcement effectiveness, the department and police are also strengthening officer capabilities through ongoing training in IP law, investigation procedures and enforcement practices. The agencies plan to integrate key data – including case records, enforcement actions and trademark databases – to accelerate response times and improve coordination.
In the first nine months of 2025, joint operations led to the seizure of more than 1.7 million counterfeit items and the initiation of 706 legal cases.
Supthaweethum expressed appreciation for the police’s continued support and presented certificates of honour to officers who demonstrated outstanding performance in IP enforcement.
The DIP encouraged the public to stay alert and report suspected IP violations.
- Excel V. Dyquiangco
