IBC泰國法律金融會計事務所International Business Consultancy

How to Protect Your Thai Intellectual Property Rights in the Metaverse

如何在元宇宙保護您的泰國智慧財產權

Since October 2021, metaverse has been a hot topic which was brought out by Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms (formerly known as Facebook Inc.), who announced his ambition to his employees that he was planning to build a world knows as the metaverse. Therefore, it is important for intellectual property owners in Thailand to get with the trends.

自2021年10月起「元宇宙」一詞因Meta Platforms (前身為Facebook Inc.)執行長馬克·祖克柏提出而成為熱門話題。馬克·祖克柏向員工宣布他的雄心計劃是建立一個被稱為元宇宙的世界。因此，對於泰國的知識產權所有者來說，跟上潮流是件重要的事情。

For patent owners, it is suggested to invest augmented reality (“AR”) and virtual reality (“VR”) devices. It is predictable that brand owners in the technology industry will develop AR and VR devices, so there will be more opportunities for patent owners to invent and improve AR technology-related devices for use with various items, such as eyewear and other products that make AR and VR more user-friendly and cheaper to users, and to file patent applications accordingly.

建議專利權人投資擴增實境(“AR”)及虛擬實境(“VR”)設備。可以預見科技業的品牌所有者將開發AR和VR設備，因此專利權人將有更多機會發明和改進與AR技術相關的設備以用於各種物品，例如護目鏡和其他讓AR及VR用戶使用上更方便、便宜的產品，並提出專利申請。

In addition, for trademark owners, it is important to file nontraditional trademark applications. In the world of metaverse, trademarks for use are likely to be nontraditional such as sound trademarks and hologram trademarks, so we will encourage trademark owners to file trademark applications to avoid trademark infringement. In addition, a trademark owner should consider to designate the suitable classes for these new trademark applications as they will be used in metaverse. The new application should include virtual goods and services. For example, class 9 which is related to downloadable virtual goods and class 41 which is related to online entertainment services.

此外，對商標權人來說申請非傳統商標也很重要。在元宇宙使用的商標很可能是非傳統商標，例如聲音商標和全像圖商標，因此我們鼓勵商標權人提出商標申請避免商標被侵權。且因為商標將使用於元宇宙，商標權人應考慮為這些新商標申請指定合適的類別。新的申請案須包含虛擬商品及服務，例如第9類與可下載虛擬商品相關、第41類與線上娛樂服務相關。

Furthermore, if a creator creates a piece of art in the metaverse, we may consider whether such art legally belongs to that creator, to the metaverse, or to the developer of the app by which the art was created. In the future, the legislators may indicate relevant regulations in the acts to answer this question.

另外，如果創作者在元宇宙創作一件藝術，我們可能會考慮該藝術在法律上是否屬於該創作者、元宇宙或創作該藝術的應用程式開發者。未來立法者可能會在條文註明相關規定以回答這個問題。

IBC International Business Consultancy is a law, finance and accounting firm located in Bangkok, Thailand with experienced lawyers, accountants, and financial advisers. We provide services including investment, tax and legal advice in Thailand. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via Line: @ibcfirm for further information.

IBC泰國法律金融會計事務所 (International Business Consultancy) 為一間位於曼谷的泰國法律金融會計事務所，由經驗豐富的律師、會計師、及財務顧問組成，可提供泰國投資、泰國稅收及泰國法律諮詢等服務。如果有什麼問題，可以隨時通過Line: @ibcfirm與我們聯繫。