An official cuts a handbag with a fake brand name during an event to destroy counterfeit and pirated goods held by the Intellectual Property Department. About 3.6 million pirated products worth 1.7 billion baht were seized last year. APICHART JINAKUL

The government is upbeat Thailand will be removed from the US's Priority Watch List for intellectual property (IP) next month, saying that responsible authorities have continued efforts to tackle IP violations.

Deputy Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said Thailand has continued working hard to quell intellectual property piracy, notably in the so-called red zones spanning 25 areas in eight provinces.

The red zone includes MBK Centre, Pantip Plaza, Khlong Thom, Baan Mor, Sukhumvit Road and Patpong in Bangkok; markets in Chiang Mai and Phuket; and the Rong Kluea market on the Thai-Cambodian border.

Mr Sontirat said MBK Centre and Rong Kluea market, in particular, had seen piracy levels drop by up to 80% after responsible state units such as the Internal Security Operations Command, the Department of Special Investigation and the national police teamed with the Commerce Ministry to tackle the issue.

In particular, the building and area owners had been asked not to renew the rental contracts for vendors who sell pirated products.

He said about 80% of pirated products are imported from foreign countries, mostly via border areas.

Digital piracy, especially transactions using popular social media, is also proliferating. State officials have been ordered to speed up the crackdown on digital piracy, especially when conducted via social media platforms such as Facebook, and conduct random inspections of delivery services shipping pirated goods.

In line with its overarching strategy, the government in August approved a 20-year IP reform roadmap featuring action plans for the short, medium and long terms.

The short-term action plan calls for the government to have Thailand removed from the Priority Watch List in April through new enforcement measures.

The roadmap spanning 2018-21 covers support for Thais to develop their own intellectual property, as well as measures to protect against and suppress IP violations.

It also calls for establishing a new environment that stimulates IP creation, the commercialisation of IP, law enforcement and the promotion of geographical indication.

The plan entails more spending on research and development and the creation of an IP database. Efforts will also be made to raise awareness of the harm caused by using pirated products.

The national IP policy committee, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, also approved the long-term reform plan and the action plans, which will be jointly implemented by Thai authorities and their US counterparts.

Last year, state officials seized 3.6 million pirated items including garments, leatherwear, shoes, watches, mobile phones, computers and DVD players, worth 1.7 billion baht.

"We hope the efforts Thailand has enacted over the past year, not only in the form of suppression, but also prevention, awareness campaigns and legal amendments, will be enough to remove us from the US's Priority Watch List when it makes a ruling in late April," said Gen Prayut.