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SUWANVARA LAWFIRM
Suwanvara Law Firm Co., Ltd.
SUWANVARA LAWFIRM
SUWANVARA LAWFIRM
Suwanvara Law Firm Co., Ltd.
Business Services

Trademark Registration in Thailand: Search, Filing & Renewal

Register before you launch, not after someone else does

Trademark Registration in Thailand: Search, Filing & Renewal
Business Services

Register before you launch, not after someone else does

Thailand's system largely favours whoever files first, so a brand used for years but never registered can be filed by a partner, a distributor or a stranger. We start with a search for similar marks, choose classes that cover the products you plan to sell, file, respond to the Registrar and follow the application through to registration.

What we cover

Searches for identical or similar marks before filing
Choice of goods and services classes, and filing
Responses to the Registrar and appeals against refusal
Filing oppositions, or defending against them
Renewals, assignments and registration of licence agreements
International filings via Madrid, and Thai filings for foreign brand owners

Search before filing

Most refusals are for similarity to a mark already on the register, or for words that simply describe the product. A search before filing lets you adjust the name or logo before money is spent on packaging.

Choosing classes that cover the business

Protection covers only the classes of goods and services filed. We choose classes from what you sell now and plan to sell, including related services such as online retail or restaurants, so nobody can register the mark in an adjacent class.

Objections, refusals and oppositions

When the Registrar raises objections or refuses, you must respond within the deadline, and after publication there is a period in which third parties can oppose. We handle responses, appeals, oppositions and defences to oppositions.

Foreign brands, and filing abroad

Foreign brand owners should register in Thailand before appointing a distributor — a distributor filing the mark first is a common problem. Thai brands expanding abroad can extend protection to many countries in one application through the Madrid system.

After registration

The mark must be used and renewed on time. Licences to others should be in writing and registered with the Registrar, and when infringers appear our intellectual property team can take it from there.

Talk to us about this

Free initial consultation. Tell us what your business needs and we'll map the steps and a quote.

Talk to us about this+66 92 254 2045

Frequently asked questions about Trademark Registration

6 questions answered

Without objections or an opposition, usually several months to around a year. Your rights date from the filing date, so file before you launch.
Ten years from the filing date, renewable for ten years at a time. Protection covers Thailand only, and only the classes registered.
If the brand belongs to the business, register it in the name of the company that owns the brand — not a director, distributor or factory. A trademark is an asset that can be transferred and sold, and it is part of what the business is worth.
The mark, the list of goods or services, and the applicant's documents — company certificate or ID. Foreign individuals and companies file through a notarised power of attorney.
Yes, through the Department of Intellectual Property's online system. But a thin search or classes chosen too narrowly can lead to refusal or a registration that does not protect what you actually sell.
It depends on who used it first, whether the filing was in good faith and whether the mark is actually in use. Options range from buying it and seeking cancellation to rebranding; we assess before you decide.

Further reading

Business Law
Registering a Trademark in Thailand: Steps, Documents and How Long It Takes

Thailand protects the first to file, not the first to use. How a Thai trademark application moves from search to registration, what to prepare, where applications get refused or opposed, and how to keep the registration alive once you have it.

9 min readIntellectual Property Guide
Who Owns the Brand? Structuring Trademark and IP Ownership When You Incorporate in Thailand

Should your Thai operating company or an offshore holding entity own the mark? What first-to-file means when your brand launched abroad, licensing the mark down to your Thai company, employee and contractor IP, and what a diligence lawyer will look for later.

9 min readForeign Investment Guide
Do You Need a Thai Company to Sell Here? Export Direct, Appoint a Distributor, or Set Up Your Own Importer

Choosing a market-entry route before committing capital. Who is the importer of record and what that commits each party to, the distributor agreement terms nobody drafts until it is too late, warranty exposure by route, and a decision table by volume, margin, control and speed.

10 min read

Other business services

Company & Corporate Registration
Company formation, changes to directors/capital/address/objectives, dissolution, and full DBD paperwork — handled end-to-end by a team that sees it through.
Accounting & Monthly Tax
Monthly bookkeeping, tax filing (withholding & VAT), annual financial statements, payroll, and social security — all in one place, right after we register your company.
Business License Applications
Industry-specific licenses — restaurants, food sale/storage, hotels, import-export, FDA, and e-commerce — with documents prepared and agencies coordinated for you.
Contract Drafting & Document Review
Draft and review business contracts of every kind — employment, NDAs, services, sale, lease — plus website T&Cs/privacy policies and demand letters, to prevent disputes before they start.
Notarial Services & Certified Translation
Notarial Services Attorney certification of signatures and documents, certified translation, and embassy/consular liaison — for use at home and abroad.
Employer Labour-Law Compliance & HR Advisory
Employment contracts and work rules that hold up, a documented discipline-and-termination process, and a standing labour adviser your HR team can call before they act — not after.
Work Permit & Visa Processing Service
Work permits and business visas filed and renewed end to end — company eligibility checked first, employer paperwork prepared, 90-day reporting handled, and clean cancellation when staff leave.
Retained Corporate Legal Counsel
A named lawyer on monthly retainer — reviewing the contracts you use, answering day-to-day questions, issuing demand letters, and settling disputes before they reach court.
Customs & Cross-Border Trade Compliance
Tariff classification and customs valuation, responding to post-clearance audits, challenging retrospective duty assessments, and claiming the privileges you are entitled to.
PDPA Compliance & Data Protection
Find out where the organisation is actually exposed, then put the documents and procedures in place — policies, consents, processing records, processor contracts, data-subject requests, and breach response.
Demand Letters for Unpaid Debts
A lawyer-issued demand letter setting a deadline to pay — putting the debtor formally in default, building the evidence you will need in court, and staying inside what the law on debt collection allows.
Legal Notices & Cease-and-Desist Letters
Lawyer-issued notices that terminate a contract, require a property to be vacated, demand an infringement stop, or set a deadline to cure a breach — plus replies to notices you have received.
Factory Setup in Thailand
The legal sequence for a new plant — investment route and site, land and lease diligence, building and factory licensing, machinery import, and work permits for the team that installs and runs it.
Family Business & Succession
Family constitutions, holding-company structures, shareholders' agreements between family members, and a plan for passing shares and management to the next generation — with what the family agrees written into documents Thai law will actually enforce.
Business Plans & Feasibility Studies
Business plans and financial projections for bank loans, BOI promotion applications, Foreign Business Licence applications, investors and partners, and project feasibility studies — written by the same team that prepares the legal documents.
Thai FDA Product Registration
Thai FDA registrations and notifications for food, supplements, cosmetics and medical devices, made in Thailand or imported — with a clear decision on who holds the licence, so the brand is not tied to a factory or importer.
Joint Ventures & Shareholders' Agreements
Structuring joint ventures between Thai and foreign partners, drafting joint venture and shareholders' agreements, forming the JV company, and agreeing the way out if partners disagree or part ways.
Asset Tracing & Judgment Enforcement
Tracing a debtor's assets before suing to judge whether the claim is worth pursuing, interim seizure when assets are being moved, and enforcement of judgments through seizure, attachment and auction — for business and foreign creditors.
Franchising
Franchise systems for brand owners — franchise agreements, disclosure documents, trademark registration and licence recording — and pre-signing review for franchisees, with the branch economics checked, not just the contract.
Corporate Secretarial Services
Keeping a Thai company's annual obligations complete and on time — shareholder meetings, minutes, the shareholder list, filing financial statements and registering changes — especially for companies with directors or shareholders abroad.
Company Closure & Liquidation
Closing a Thai company properly from start to finish — the resolution to dissolve, registration, Revenue Department notices and VAT cancellation, staff, the liquidation accounts and final registration — handled by the legal and accounting teams together.
Buying & Selling a Business
Due diligence before you buy, a view on whether the price or key money is worth it, sale or takeover agreements, and the transfer of leases, licences and staff — for buyers and sellers.
Buying Property at Court Auction
Checks before you bid on a house, land or condo unit at a court auction — title, encumbrances, occupants and unpaid common fees — and the work after you win, through transfer of title and removal of anyone still in the property.
Employment Contracts, Salary Structures & Employee Handbooks
A complete set of HR documents for Thai companies: employment contracts by role, a salary structure that holds up legally and financially, work rules, and an employee handbook that agrees with them.
Migrant Worker Compliance for Employers (MOU Workers)
The employer's legal side of hiring workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia under the MOU system: file checks, contracts, hiring and exit notices, renewals, changes of employer and inspections — alongside licensed recruitment agencies.
Employee Misconduct & Fraud Investigations
When an employee is suspected of fraud or serious misconduct: preserving evidence, a fact-finding process under the work rules, a properly founded disciplinary decision, a criminal complaint, and recovering the money.
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