By Saowanee Leewijitsin
It has been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, affecting all aspects of global businesses, and stopping us from doing so many things that we usually do. It seems, however, that filing trademarks in Thailand is not one of those things. The Thailand Trademark Office (“TTMO”) recently released statistics for 2020 relating to trademark applications and registrations via both the national route and the Madrid route. Although the number of fillings dropped compared to 2019, based on the following statistics, you would not be able to guess there was a huge global pandemic hitting us at all.
1. More than 40,000 trademark applications were filed in Thailand
The number of new trademark applications filed in Thailand totaled 47,065 (calculated from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020), a slight drop from 2019 (50,020 applications).
2. Of the new applications, 58.3% were filed by Thai entities and 41.7% were filed by foreigners (with more than 10% from China)
In 2020, 27,449 new trademark applications were filed by Thai applicants (58.3%) and 19,616 (41.7%) were filed by non-Thai applicants.
The statistics also revealed that more than 5,000 applications were filed by Chinese entities. These numbers clearly show the interest of Chinese entrepreneurs and businesses in the Thai market.
3. Valid trademark registrations have increased compared to 2019
In 2019, there were only 24,463 trademarks granted in Thailand. However, thanks to TTMO’s efforts, the number of trademark registrations in Thailand increased to 28,015 in 2020. A big round of applause to the TTMO for taking care of brand owners and working harder even as we all faced the difficulties brought upon by the pandemic.
4. The most popularly filed trademarks in 2020 were for products in Classes 3, 5, and 9
Throughout the past year we have been incessantly reminded to wash and sanitize our hands, keep social distancing, and stay at home. So, unsurprisingly, products in Class 3 (i.e., “Non-medicated cosmetics and toiletry preparations, bleaching preparations and other substances for laundry use, cleaning, polishing, etc.”), Class 5 (i.e., “Pharmaceuticals, medical and veterinary preparations, sanitary preparations for medical purposes, disinfectants, etc.”) and Class 9 (i.e., “Computers and computer peripheral devices, recorded and downloadable media, computer software, etc.”) got the highest attention from brand owners seeking to register their marks in Thailand.
5. TTMO received 9,187 international registration/applications designating Thailand in 2020
In 2020, Thailand remained as one of the prominent countries receiving attention from global brand owners in expanding the protection of their brands. Last year, TTMO received 9,187 international registrations/ applications designating Thailand. Although this is lower compared to 2019 (9,635 registrations/applications), it is still much higher than 2018, having only 5,931 registrations/applications.
The top 5 trademark-filing countries designating Thailand through the Madrid System in 2020 are as follows:
If you need any advice regarding your trademark or IP matters in Thailand, please email us at kass@kass.asia.
- Legal Consequences of an Unregistered Franchisor in Malaysia: Hasjay Group Sdn Bhd & Anor v Eco Passions Sdn Bhd & Ors [2022] MLJU 433 - July 25, 2024
- Spotlight Changes of Vietnamese Trademark Laws - July 25, 2024
- Wait, is this Eng the Same as that Eng? – Confusingly Similar Trademarks - July 25, 2024
