US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK6564

UNCLAS BANGKOK 006564 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB/IPE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ECON, ETRD, KIPR, WTO 
SUBJECT: THAILAND AND GI IN THE WTO 
 
REF: SECSTATE 180474 
 
1.  On October 17, Emboff met with Deputy Director General 
Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa of the Department of Intellectual 
Property, and Trademark Office Director Pajchima Thanasanti 
and presented talking points on upcoming WTO agriculture 
negotiations and geographical indications (GI) as requested 
in reftel. 
 
2.  DDG Wiboonlasana stated that while the EU proposal was 
not perfect, Thailand supported Article 23 extension for GIs 
in the WTO, and favored a multilateral registration system 
for GIs.  Wiboonlasana explained that the cost of 
registration of Thai GIs abroad was expensive and Thailand 
would therefore be supportive of a system that would reduce 
costs.  She was less concerned with the costs to Thailand 
that could result from the EU's more expansive proposal as 
Thailand did not to her knowledge produce any of the items 
that the EU wished to protect under geographical indications. 
 
3.  Wiboonlasana indicated that Thailand did not support 
inclusion of geographical indications in agriculture 
negotiations and agreed with the U.S. position that GIs 
should be considered in the TRIPS Council.  However, she 
encouraged flexibility by the U.S. in TRIPS negotiations and 
warned that a lack of progress in TRIPS on GIs would 
inevitably hamper agriculture negotiations. 
BOYCE