US keeps Thailand on IP Watch List while urging legal reforms
The US report recognises Thailand’s continued progress on IP protection and enforcement, while urging further legal changes and action against infringement.
- The United States has kept Thailand on its intellectual property (IP) "Watch List" in its 2026 assessment, despite acknowledging the country's progress in IP protection.
- The US is urging Thailand to accelerate legal reforms, particularly amending laws to facilitate joining international IP agreements like the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.
- Washington also called for expanded crackdowns on IP-infringing goods, especially online, and raised concerns about patent application backlogs, pirated software, and online copyright infringement.
The United States has announced its 2026 assessment of intellectual property protection among major trading partners, keeping Thailand on its Watch List (WL), while recognising the country’s continued progress in raising intellectual property protection standards in line with international norms and strengthening law enforcement.
Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Department of Intellectual Property, said the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) prepares an annual report on the intellectual property protection status of major trading partners under the US Special 301 trade provisions to assess the level of intellectual property protection in partner countries.
The assessment is divided into three groups:
- Priority Foreign Country (PFC)
- Priority Watch List (PWL)
- Watch List (WL)
The latest announcement, made on Friday (May 1, 2026) Thailand time, stated that Thailand remained on the Watch List (WL), along with 18 other trading partners: Algeria, Argentina, Barbados, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, the European Union, Guatemala, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Türkiye.
This year, the United States made its assessment more stringent.
After no country was placed in the PFC category last year, Vietnam was moved from the WL to the PFC category in the latest announcement.
The United States also placed six countries on the PWL: Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela.
At the same time, it added the European Union to the WL this year.
The 2026 Special 301 Report said the United States recognised the Thai government’s commitment and continued progress in protecting intellectual property and deterring infringements, particularly proactive measures to crack down on infringements, the integration of work among law-enforcement agencies, and efforts to amend copyright and patent laws.
It also cited preparations to join important international intellectual property agreements, namely the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty and the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs.
However, the United States asked Thailand to accelerate legal amendments to complete the process of joining these international agreements.
It also asked Thailand to expand crackdowns on the sale of intellectual property-infringing goods, particularly through online channels, to cover more major sellers or production sources.
The report also noted a backlog of patent applications in some fields, especially pharmaceuticals, false claims of rights to collect copyright fees, the use of pirated software, and online copyright infringement through devices and applications used to download copyrighted content without authorisation.
Auramon said Suphajee Suthumpun, deputy prime minister and minister of commerce, had instructed the department to continue cracking down on infringing goods and promoting intellectual property protection in Thailand.
On enforcement, during the first six months of fiscal 2026, from October 2025 to March 2026, action was taken in 332 cases, with 1.3 million items seized and economic damage valued at THB2.3 billion.
The department also continued to focus on commercial districts identified as sales points for infringing goods, online sales and arrests of major operators.
On promotion, the department has modernised regulations and laws, adopted technology for registration, and developed laws on the fair collection of remuneration for the use of copyrighted works.
Securing Thailand’s removal from the WL remains an important goal for the department.
We will continue to explain Thailand’s progress on intellectual property to the United States and implement the IP Work Plan prepared jointly with USTR so that it produces concrete results, particularly by working with agencies responsible for the economy, security and the justice process, using proactive enforcement measures to cut off the cycle of infringing goods at source, and focusing on arrests involving infringing goods in commercial districts and warehouses.
“We will also cover cross-border customs checkpoints and upgrade Thailand’s intellectual property system to make it efficient, transparent and aligned with international standards. In addition to strengthening the trade and investment environment and Thailand’s credibility in the eyes of the international community, this will serve as a mechanism to support innovation and creativity among Thai people, increase competitiveness and sustainably create trade opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs,” Auramon said.
