Bangkok: Early in the year 2026, IP requests exceeded 14,000, with e-commerce and healthcare showing continued strong growth. The Department of Intellectual Property revealed that in the first two months of 2026, there were over 14,394 intellectual property applications, an increase from the previous year. E-commerce and healthcare remain key drivers, ranking among the top applications in various categories, reflecting market trends and innovations aligned with modern consumer behavior.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Oramon Sapthaveetham, Director-General of the Department of Intellectual Property, reported that between January and February 2026, there were 11,870 applications for intellectual property registration, marking a 1.37% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Additionally, there were 2,524 copyright notifications, an increase of 4.38%.
Trademarks saw a peak number of applications at 9,025, an increase of 2.22%, with the retail, sales, and marketing services group continuing to dominate, reflecting the growth of e-commerce. This was followed by beauty and cleaning products, health products such as medicines, herbal products, and wellness goods. Next were electronic equipment and processed agricultural products. However, the number of registered trademarks totaled 6,470, a decrease of 11.94% compared to the same period last year due to some applicants not having paid registration fees for approximately 1,500 applications. The Department emphasized the importance of completing applications within the legally stipulated timeframe to avoid losing patent rights. There were 1,254 applications filed, a decrease of 6.49%, with pharmaceutical and health product innovations remaining the most numerous, followed by communication technology and biological products.
The majority of applicants, 91%, are foreigners, while the number of patent registrations increased by 24.50%, reflecting improved review efficiency.
Meanwhile, 720 patent applications were filed, an increase of 2.71%. The food and beverage sector remains the most popular, followed by herbal medicine, communication systems, and medical devices, reflecting the role of domestic research. The majority of applicants (96%) are Thai nationals, primarily from educational institutions.
Regarding product design patents, 871 applications were filed, an increase of 3.81%. Packaging ranked first, followed by textile patterns, jewelry, construction materials, and automotive parts. The number of registrations increased by 70.63%. As for copyrights, 2,524 works were registered, an increase of 4.38%, with literary, artistic, and musical works remaining the main categories.
Copyright is a right that arises immediately upon the creation of a work, thus notification serves as a record of evidence and does not reflect the total number of works created in the country.
Ms. Oramon further stated that the Department of Intellectual Property has been continuously developing its service system by incorporating technology into the application review process to make it faster and more accurate. They are also expanding their Fast Track service to expedite the review process, such as providing results for trademarks within 3-4 months, invention patents within 12 months, and utility model patents within 6 months, in order to support faster commercialization of intellectual property.
Those interested can inquire about information or seek advice on intellectual property at the IP One Service Center, Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce.