Commerce Ministry calls on consumers to reject knock-offs

Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun launched a campaign at Siam Paragon shopping mall and Siam Square Walking Street yesterday, urging Thai people to boycott pirated and “knock-off” goods by refusing to buy, use or support them.

Joining the launch were representatives from the Royal Thai Police, the Customs Department, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Bangkok-based embassies, as well as patent and copyright holders.

The Commerce Minister said widespread violations of intellectual property (IP) laws not only directly affect producers of patented and copyrighted products and consumers, but also undermine Thailand’s trade competitiveness.

She added that the problem has been cited by Thailand’s trading partners, particularly the United States, as justification for punitive measures against Thai products.

She also said the proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods in physical markets and on online platforms is affecting foreign investment in Thailand and undermining investor confidence.

To address the problem, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and Shopee, one of the five major e-commerce platforms operating in Thailand, to facilitate information exchange.

Suphajee said Unilever, a major consumer products manufacturer, has also agreed to join the network by adopting a “notice-and-takedown” mechanism to curb the online trade in knock-off goods.

The network’s membership has now grown to 454 organisations, including the Department of Business Development, the Department of International Trade Promotion, the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), and the five major e-commerce platforms: Lazada, Shopee, TikTok Shop, Nex Gen Commerce and LINE.

According to the DIP, authorities seized more than 1.6 million pirated items and filed 456 IP infringement cases in the first half of this year. Total damage was estimated at 786 million baht.