• 
• 
• 

The reduction, which will take effect next January, will help licensees deal with the worsening economy. Type-3 licences are for licensees with their own large telecom networks.

The board also asked the administrative office to study a possible reduction in related regulatory costs that licensees pay to the NTC. - The Nation

No patent for Thai |jasmine rice's aroma

Thailand cannot grant a patent for the aroma of Thai jasmine rice, because it is natural and did not result from innovation, the Intellectual Property Department said yesterday.

Director-general Puangrat Asavapisit said it would be difficult for Thailand to register a patent for jasmine rice's distinctive fragrance because the law covered only natural genes and micro-organisms. Only items resulting directly from innovation can be protected.

He said the department would meet with the National Science and Technology Development Agency to try to find an appropriate way to register such a patent in the Kingdom. - The Nation