Trademark and IP services in Thailand.
Thai trademark search, Class designation, Department of Intellectual Property filing, opposition handling, infringement enforcement, and renewal management. The Thai trademark system protects by registration, not by use — so register early.
Protecting intellectual property in Thailand.
Intellectual property in Thailand is administered by the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), an agency of the Ministry of Commerce. The main instruments available are trademarks, patents, copyright, trade secrets and geographical indications — each governed by its own statute and each protecting a different kind of asset.
Rights held abroad are not automatically enforceable in Thailand. A mark registered in your home market, or a patent granted elsewhere, carries no standing here until it is secured locally. Registration with the DIP is therefore what actually delivers protection — and, in a first-to-file system, filing early is what keeps that protection within reach.
Five families of protection.
Thai law recognises a distinct set of rights, each with its own term and its own route to protection. Knowing which instrument fits the asset is the first step in any IP strategy.
Trademarks
Governed by the Trademark Act B.E. 2534. A registration is valid for ten years and may be renewed indefinitely for further ten-year terms.
Invention patents
Granted for genuinely new and inventive products or processes, with protection running for twenty years from the filing date.
Petty patents
A lighter route for incremental innovation — utility models that need not clear the full inventive-step bar, protected for up to ten years.
Design patents
Protect the ornamental appearance of a product — its shape, pattern or configuration — for a term of ten years.
Copyright
Arises automatically on creation and lasts for the life of the author plus fifty years. Voluntary recordation with the DIP gives useful evidence of ownership.
Trade secrets & GIs
Confidential commercial information is protected as a trade secret for as long as it stays secret; geographical indications protect goods tied to a particular place of origin.
Securing a mark — and enforcing it across borders.
Trademark registration follows a defined sequence at the DIP, while Thailand's treaty memberships extend protection beyond its borders and give rights holders real avenues for enforcement.
Registering a trademark
- A clearance search before filing, to confirm the mark is available
- An application to the DIP in Thai — a foreign applicant appoints a local agent under a power of attorney
- Examination of the application by a DIP officer
- Publication in the Trademark Gazette for a 90-day opposition period
- A ten-year term once registered, renewable for further ten-year periods
- Classification under the current Nice Classification of 45 classes
- A typical 10–18 month timeline, with a DIP fast-track giving a first action in about six months
International protection & enforcement
- The Madrid Protocol, in force for Thailand since 2017, for international trademark filings
- The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), in force since 2009, for patent applications
- Copyright protected internationally under the Berne Convention
- Enforcement through the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court
- Customs recordation via the Thai Customs IPR system, to intercept infringing imports
What it means for trademark owners.
- The DIP runs e-filing and patent fast-track programmes, extended to digital innovation in late 2025.
- A draft Patent Act (2024–2025) proposes lengthening design protection to fifteen years.
- A draft Copyright Act amendment was approved in principle by the Cabinet in 2025, preparing Thailand for accession to the WPPT.
- Customs IP recordation has moved to the Customs Department's TCIRs system.
Registering a trademark, step by step.
From first search to registration certificate, a Thai trademark application moves through six predictable stages.
Clearance search
Search the DIP register and related sources to confirm the mark is free to use and register.
Prepare the application
Draft the application, settle the classes, and put the power of attorney in place for a foreign applicant.
File with the DIP
Lodge the application with the Department of Intellectual Property in Thai.
Examination
A DIP officer examines the mark; any office actions are answered within the deadlines.
Publication for opposition
The mark is published in the Trademark Gazette for a 90-day opposition window.
Registration
The certificate issues for a ten-year term, with renewals diarised to keep the mark in force.
In Thailand, the first to register is the first to own.
Thailand operates on a first-to-file trademark system. Using a mark in commerce for years does not, on its own, give priority over a later registrant. Foreign brands that have not registered in Thailand are routinely caught by local third-party registrations of their own marks.
We run a clearance search on the proposed mark, designate the right Nice Classification classes, file with the Department of Intellectual Property, defend any opposition, and manage the 10-year renewal cycle. For brands with international portfolios, we coordinate with Madrid Protocol filings or with your home-country trademark counsel.
Enforcement — sending takedown notices, customs recordation, and infringement proceedings — is a separate workstream and is scoped per matter.
What we do
- Trademark clearance search
- Nice Classification advice and class designation
- Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) filing
- Office-action responses
- Opposition handling (both defensive and offensive)
- Madrid Protocol coordination
- 10-year renewal management
- Customs recordation
- Cease-and-desist letters
- Infringement litigation coordinated with the litigation team
What you get
- Clearance done before filing — no surprises at examination
- Renewal calendar managed on your behalf
- Coordination with foreign trademark counsel for international portfolios
How we work
Search and clearance
Pre-filing search in the DIP database and beyond; clearance opinion issued.
Application
Classes designated, application filed.
Examination
Office actions responded to; opposition defended if raised.
Registration and renewal
Registration certificate issued; renewal calendar set for year 10.
Speak with our team
Send a message — typical response within one hour during office hours.
WhatsApp +66 95 332 2447 Send an Enquiry Call +66 2 026 0600Frequently asked
How long does Thai trademark registration take?
Standard timeline: 10-18 months from filing to registration certificate, longer if office actions or opposition arise.
Can I file via the Madrid Protocol?
Yes — Thailand is a Madrid Protocol member. Direct Thai filing is often faster but Madrid is efficient for international portfolios.
What if someone already registered my mark in Thailand?
Options include cancellation actions (limited grounds), purchase from the registrant, or rebranding for the Thai market. Each path has trade-offs we walk through.
How long does protection last?
10 years from filing, renewable indefinitely for further 10-year periods.
Reviewed by the Khonsu Legal team · 1 July 2026
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