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Published on March 10, 2008

"Thailand should win the case if there's any petition. The case will also be evidence that Thailand has not breached any international regulations for our compulsory licensing," director-general Puangrat Asavapisit said yesterday.

The EU, pushed particularly by Germany and France, recently said it would file a complaint against Thailand for breaking the international agreement on compulsory licensing.

Puangrat insisted Thailand was committed to following the WTO's Trade Related Intellectual Property regulations and had already negotiated prices with owners of drug patents.

The department is also working hard to convince the US to upgrade Thailand's trade status.

In a last-ditch effort, it recently sent a report to the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) underscoring Thailand's progress in protecting IP rights.

Puangrat said the department was closely monitoring the USTR's consideration of upgrading or downgrading Thailand's trade status this year.

It expects the USTR not to include the compulsory-licensing issue in its analysis.

The USTR will announce its annual review of trade partners' status next month.

"Thailand should be upgraded to the 'Watch List', because of our success in suppressing IP abuses over the past year," she said.

Thailand was downgraded last year to the "Priority Watch List", which is for countries weak in safeguarding IP.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation