Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to Promote Improvement of Copyright Environment in Thailand

Intergovernmental Meeting with Thailand Ministry of Commerce Intellectual Property Department
Emphasizing the Importance of Laws, Systems, and Enforcement

South Korea and Thailand discuss the development and cooperation measures of copyright collective management organizations.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the "Intergovernmental Copyright Meeting and Forum" with the Department of Intellectual Property under the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand in Bangkok for two days starting from the 15th. Copyright officials from both countries will share the latest policy trends and exchange information on the current status of copyright infringement and response measures in the digital environment.

Thailand is highly interested in South Korea's copyright infringement response system. Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding on exchange and cooperation in the copyright field in 2013, the two countries have maintained steady exchanges and adopted advanced technologies. In September last year, the Royal Thai Police also visited the Korea Copyright Protection Agency's online copyright infringement inspection system.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will emphasize the importance of copyright laws, systems, and enforcement systems at this meeting and discuss various cooperation measures. Joint projects to raise public awareness of copyright will also be proposed.

Jung Hyang-mi, Director of the Copyright Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "To continuously generate related revenue in Thailand, which is the sixth largest consumer of K-content, improving the local copyright environment is essential," adding, "We will strengthen cooperation across the board, including related laws and systems, operation and management of collective management organizations, protection and enforcement tasks, and awareness raising."

Meanwhile, at the copyright forum, discussions will focus on "Copyright Policy and the Music Industry in the Digital Environment," including ways to revitalize the music copyright industry. Government presentations will be given by Siraphat Batrapai, Director of the Copyright Division at the Department of Intellectual Property of Thailand, and Lee Ha-young, Officer at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Presentations by academic and industry experts will include Ahn Hyo-jil, President of the Korean Copyright Law Association; Kim Hyun-sook, Director of the Korea Music Content Association; Park Woong-jin, Head of the Thailand Business Center at the Korea Creative Content Agency; Samkwan Tonsompong, CEO of Watdeok Music; and Chalakon Panyashom, Chief Operating Officer of Workpoint Entertainment.