The Commerce Ministry has stepped up its crackdown on counterfeit goods after authorities seized more than 1.65 million infringing items worth 786 million baht in the first half of 2026.
Speaking at a campaign promoting respect for intellectual property rights in Bangkok on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun described intellectual property infringement as a major obstacle to economic development, saying it harms manufacturers, businesses and consumers while undermining the country's competitiveness.
She said intellectual property protection remains an important factor in how trading partners, particularly the United States, assess Thailand's standards, with implications for trade and investment confidence.
As part of the crackdown, the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), including its Economic Crime Suppression Division, and Shopee Thailand to strengthen information-sharing, investigations and legal action against offenders.
The agreement aims to improve the detection and removal of counterfeit and pirated goods sold online while helping authorities expand investigations into larger criminal networks, she said.
The department also signed a cooperation agreement with Unilever Thailand Trading Co Ltd, which joined the "Notice and Takedown" network to remove infringing products from the internet.
The network now comprises 45 organisations, including government agencies, intellectual property rights holders and major e-commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, TikTok Shop, Nex Gen Commerce and LINE.
Oramon Sapthaweetham, director-general of the DIP, said the department works with state agencies to target manufacturers, distribution channels and major offenders while coordinating with online platforms to remove illegal listings more quickly.
From January to June, authorities arrested suspects in 456 intellectual property infringement cases and seized 1,654,698 counterfeit items worth an estimated 786 million baht.
Ms Oramon said the latest cooperation would help curb counterfeit goods and encourage consumers, particularly younger people, to buy legitimate products.
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