Thailand is currently categorised in the Watch List as making limited progress in suppressing intellectual property violations. The USTR will announce its revision of the intellectual property violation grouping in April.

If Thailand is moved from the Watch List to the Priority Watch List, it would face difficulties when the USTR considers the country's status in the US's Generalised System of Preferences and in terms of trade retaliation practices.

In the letter submitted to the USTR, Levi Strauss & Co, one of the world's largest brand-name apparel marketers, said the piracy problem in Thailand is severe. The situation is hurting its local and international business. It said the Kingdom serves as a manufacturing base for imitation goods, and is a leading exporter of those goods.

The company reported that Levi-brand fake products were found in many retail distribution channels in greater Bangkok.

"Thai law has failed to clamp down on copyright violators," the report said.

Phillip Morris International, the world's leading tobacco company and maker of Marlboro and LM cigarettes, said Thai officials had failed to crack down on counterfeiting and smuggling of cigarettes in the country, particularly cross-border trading.

The Cable Broadcasting Satellite Association of Asia (CBSAA) said the pay-TV industry situation in Thailand was disordered and facing serious intellectual property violations. It said the government had failed to license cable TV operations or enforce the law to reduce violations.

According to the CBSAA's survey, subscribers to unlicensed cable TV in Thailand have reached 1.3 million and continue to grow, while licensed subscribers were only 500,000 last year. The cost of cable-TV piracy is expected to reach US$167 million (Bt5.9 billion).

The Intellectual Property Department argues that the government has acted to protect intellectual property rights. Piracy has steadily dropped in the past 10 years.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation