Are the French encouraged or discouraged with the protection of intellectual property rights here in Thailand?
As the French make a number of luxury items e.g. Lacoste, Vuitton, Chanel or Cartier, the protection of trademarks is very important to us. So we very much support the trend in this country towards strengthening and enforcing laws and regulations in the field of intellectual property. Thailand has set up a new intellectual property court to enforce these new regulations, and we see this as very positive sign. The French National Institute of Industrial Property is now working in close cooperation with Thai officials and has set up a specialized body where French experts now work closely with Thai experts exchanging assistance and know-how. There are still intellectual property violations taking place but it is clear that Thai authorities are taking this issue much more seriously now and I believe that this is a good indication of Thailands growing industrial maturity. The Thais realize that it is in their best interest to have strong intellectual property laws. What do you think the Fr
