Last week we received notification to pay grant fees on a National Phase Entry application filed in January of 2017, using the PPH route, in cooperation with the Japanese Patent Office, to accelerate examination. Less than two years to grant was absolutely unheard of even a few years back, by any entry method in Thailand.
Further changes are coming, our head of Patent & Litigation Sukhprem Sachdecha, is currently a Committee Member on the Patent Reform Development Committee for the Thai Ministry of Commerce and a draft amendment to streamline the law, clarify ambiguities and bring the law in line with international standards is undergoing the final stages of review, and should be enacted early-to-mid 2019. We hope to see a further reduction in application times as a direct result of the amendments.
