International IP Treaties
Understanding the landscape of international intellectual property treaties is crucial for anyone involved in innovation, business, or legal practice in Thailand and globally. These agreements harmonize IP laws, simplify filing processes, and facilitate cross-border protection of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and more. This page provides a comprehensive overview of key international IP treaties, detailing Thailand's membership status and the significance of each agreement for IP rights holders.
International Treaties on Intellectual Property
Thailand is a member of several key international treaties governing patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other areas of intellectual property. Below is a categorized list by administering organizations, including treaties Thailand has joined and those it has not joined.
✅ IP Treaties Thailand Is a Member Of
This section lists the international intellectual property treaties and conventions that Thailand has officially joined, impacting the rights and procedures for IP protection within the country.
Treaties Administered by the World Trade Organization (WTO)
📘 TRIPS Agreement
Full Name: Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
Significance: A foundational multilateral agreement that establishes minimum standards for IP protection and enforcement for all WTO member countries. It ensures IP rights are a part of the international trading system.
Adopted: 15 April 1994
Entered into Force: 1 January 1995
Thailand Joined: 1 January 1995 (through WTO accession)
Administered by WIPO
📘 Berne Convention
Full Name: Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
Significance: Ensures that authors (and their heirs) of literary and artistic works enjoy similar rights in other member countries as they do in their own. It is based on the principles of national treatment, automatic protection, and independence of protection.
Adopted: 9 September 1886
Entered into Force: 5 December 1887 (Revised at Paris in 1896 and at Berlin in 1908, completed at Berne in 1914, revised at Rome in 1928, at Brussels in 1948, at Stockholm in 1967 and at Paris in 1971, and was amended in 1979)
Thailand Joined: 17 July 1931
📘 Madrid Protocol
Full Name: Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks
Significance: Provides a centralized system for the international registration of trademarks, allowing applicants to seek protection for their marks in multiple member countries through a single application, in one language, with one set of fees.
Adopted: 27 June 1989
Entered into Force: 1 December 1995
Thailand Joined: 7 November 2017
📘 Marrakesh VIP Treaty (MVT)
Full Name: Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled
Significance: Facilitates the creation and international exchange of accessible format copies of books and other copyrighted works for persons with print disabilities.
Adopted: 27 June 2013
Entered into Force: 30 September 2016
Thailand Joined: 28 April 2019
📘 Paris Convention
Full Name: Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
Significance: A cornerstone of international industrial property law, providing foundational principles like national treatment and the right of priority for patents, trademarks, and industrial designs.
Adopted: 20 March 1883
Entered into Force: 6 July 1884 (Revised at Brussels in 1900, at Washington in 1911, at The Hague in 1925, at London in 1934, at Lisbon in 1958 and at Stockholm in 1967, and was amended in 1979)
Thailand Joined: 2 August 2008
📘 Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Full Name: Patent Cooperation Treaty
Significance: Simplifies the process of seeking patent protection for inventions in multiple countries by providing a unified filing procedure for patent applications. An international search and preliminary examination report can inform national phase entry decisions.
Adopted: 19 June 1970
Entered into Force: 24 January 1978 (Amended in 1979 and modified in 1984 and in 2001)
Thailand Joined: 24 December 2009
📘 WIPO Convention
Full Name: Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization
Significance: Established WIPO as an intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting the protection of IP worldwide and to harmonizing national IP laws.
Adopted: 14 July 1967
Entered into Force: 26 April 1970
Thailand Joined: 25 December 1989
View Official Text
📘 WIPO Copyright Treaty
Full Name: WIPO Copyright Treaty
Significance: A special agreement under the Berne Convention that addresses copyright protection in the digital environment, particularly for computer programs and databases.
Adopted: 20 December 1996
Entered into Force: 6 March 2002
Thailand Joined: 13 October 2022
View Official Text
❌ IP Treaties Thailand Has Not Joined
This section lists notable international intellectual property treaties and conventions that Thailand is currently not a member of. Understanding these agreements can be relevant for those engaging with other jurisdictions.
Administered by WIPO
📘 Beijing Treaty
Full Name: Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances
Significance: Grants performers in audiovisual performances (e.g., actors, musicians in films) moral and economic rights similar to those granted to performers in sound recordings.
Adopted: 24 June 2012
Entered into Force: 28 April 2020
📘 Brussels Convention
Full Name: Brussels Convention Relating to the Distribution of Programme-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite
Significance: Aims to prevent pirates from picking up signals from satellites and distributing them to the public without authorization.
Adopted: 21 May 1974
Entered into Force: 25 August 1979
📘 Budapest Treaty
Full Name: Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure
Significance: Simplifies the patent application process for inventions involving microorganisms or biological material by allowing a single deposit with an international depositary authority to satisfy national deposit requirements.
Adopted: 28 April 1977
Entered into Force: 19 August 1980
📘 Hague Agreement
Full Name: Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs
Significance: Offers a system for the international registration of industrial designs, allowing applicants to obtain protection in multiple member countries through a single application.
Adopted: 6 November 1925
Entered into Force: 1 June 1928 (Revised at London in 1934, at The Hague in 1960, completed by an Additional Act at Monaco in 1961 and by a Complementary Act signed at Stockholm in 1967, which was amended in 1979. A further Act was adopted at Geneva in 1999.)
📘 Lisbon Agreement
Full Name: Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration
Significance: Provides for the protection of appellations of origin (geographic names indicating a product's origin and quality/characteristics linked to that origin) through a centralized registration system.
Adopted: 31 October 1958 (Revised at Stockholm in 1967, and amended in 1979. A further Act was adopted at Geneva in 2015.)
Entered into Force: 25 September 1966
📘 Locarno Agreement
Full Name: Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs
Significance: Establishes a uniform international classification system for industrial designs, primarily used for administrative purposes related to design registration.
Adopted: 8 October 1968
Entered into Force: 27 April 1971
📘 Madrid Agreement (Indications of Source)
Full Name: Madrid Agreement for the Repression of False or Deceptive Indications of Source on Goods
Significance: Aims to prevent the use of false or deceptive indications of source on goods, protecting consumers and producers from unfair competition.
Adopted: 14 April 1891
Entered into Force: 15 July 1892 (Revised at Washington in 1911, at The Hague in 1925, at London in 1934, at Lisbon in 1958 and at Stockholm in 1967)
📘 Madrid Agreement (Marks)
Full Name: Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks
Significance: The original agreement forming the basis of the Madrid System, which was later complemented by the Madrid Protocol. It allows for the international registration of marks.
Adopted: 14 April 1891
Entered into Force: 15 July 1892 (Revised at Brussels (1900), Washington (1911), The Hague (1925), London (1934), Nice (1957) and Stockholm (1967), and amended in 1979.)
📘 Nairobi Treaty
Full Name: Nairobi Treaty on the Protection of the Olympic Symbol
Significance: Aims to protect the Olympic symbol (the five rings) against commercial exploitation without the authorization of the International Olympic Committee.
Adopted: 26 September 1981
Entered into Force: 25 September 1982
📘 Nice Agreement
Full Name: Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks
Significance: Establishes a system for classifying goods and services for the purpose of registering trademarks, used globally for trademark applications.
Adopted: 15 June 1957
Entered into Force: 8 April 1961
📘 Patent Law Treaty (PLT)
Full Name: Patent Law Treaty
Significance: Harmonizes and streamlines formal procedures for national and regional patent applications and patents, making patent filing and maintenance easier for applicants.
Adopted: 1 June 2000
Entered into Force: 28 April 2005
📘 Phonograms Convention
Full Name: Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms Against Unauthorized Duplication of Their Phonograms
Significance: Aims to protect phonogram producers against the unauthorized reproduction of their sound recordings.
Adopted: 29 October 1971
Entered into Force: 18 April 1973
📘 Rome Convention
Full Name: Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations
Significance: Grants performers, producers of phonograms, and broadcasting organizations certain rights concerning their secondary uses of their works.
Adopted: 26 October 1961
Entered into Force: 18 May 1964
📘 Singapore Treaty
Full Name: Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks
Significance: Aims to create a modern and dynamic international framework for the procedural aspects of trademark registration and maintenance.
Adopted: 27 March 2006
Entered into Force: 16 March 2009
📘 Strasbourg Agreement
Full Name: Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification
Significance: Establishes the International Patent Classification (IPC), a hierarchical system for classifying patents and utility models according to their technical fields.
Adopted: 24 March 1971
Entered into Force: 7 October 1975
📘 Trademark Law Treaty
Full Name: Trademark Law Treaty
Significance: Simplifies and harmonizes national and regional trademark registration procedures, excluding the substantive criteria for protection.
Adopted: 27 October 1994
Entered into Force: 1 August 1996
📘 Vienna Agreement
Full Name: Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks
Significance: Establishes an international classification system for figurative elements of marks, used in trademark applications.
Adopted: 12 June 1973
Entered into Force: 9 August 1985
📘 Washington Treaty
Full Name: Washington Treaty on Intellectual Property in Respect of Integrated Circuits
Significance: Aims to protect original layout-designs (topographies) of integrated circuits.
Adopted: 26 May 1989
📘 WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT)
Full Name: WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty
Significance: Addresses the rights of performers and producers of phonograms in the digital environment, complementing the Berne Convention.
Adopted: 20 December 1996
Entered into Force: 20 May 2002
New and Emerging Treaties
📗 Riyadh Design Law Treaty (RDLT)
Full Name: Riyadh Design Law Treaty
Significance: Aims to simplify and streamline the international registration of industrial designs, potentially becoming a key treaty for design protection.
Adopted: 22 November 2024
📗 WIPO GRATK Treaty
Full Name: WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge
Significance: The first WIPO treaty addressing the interface between intellectual property, genetic resources, and traditional knowledge, requiring disclosure of origin in patent applications.
Adopted: 24 May 2024
Administered by UNESCO
📘 Universal Copyright Convention (UCC)
Full Name: Universal Copyright Convention
Significance: A multilateral treaty providing for international copyright protection, often seen as an alternative to the Berne Convention.
Adopted: 6 September 1952
Entered into Force: 16 September 1955