Partners

Sukontip Jitmongkolthong

Partner, Intellectual Property

Qualifications

  • LLM, Chulalongkorn University
  • LLB, Thammasat University

Sukontip Jitmongkolthong is a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ intellectual property group. An expert in trademark, copyright, patent, and trade name legislation, Sukontip is routinely selected by international corporations for her proficient enforcement of valuable IP rights, with a focus on apparel, automotive, electronic, and fashion products, among other industries.

Her work includes pre-litigation assistance in cancellations and appeals against Board of Trademarks decisions, reviewing and/or drafting nondisclosure agreements and warning letters, mediation and negotiation, and coordinating with investigators, the Royal Thai Police, the Department of Special Investigations, and Customs in raid actions and other enforcement measures. Sukontip also frequently trains government authorities on product identification and is steadfast in making sure they continue to monitor Thailand’s borders, ports, and marketplaces for counterfeit goods bearing our clients’ marks.

Sukontip is an active member of the International Trademark Association (INTA), and sits on the Famous and Well-Known Trademarks Subcommittee. She obtained her most recent professional training in Cross Border Technology Transactions from the Lex Mundi Institute in Monterey, California, and has also completed training in arbitration and patent law. She has also completed the barrister-at-law requirements of the Institute of Legal Education, Thai Bar Association.

  • Implemented a groundbreaking legal strategy to protect the trademark rights of a Japanese camera company against online sellers of counterfeit products, making Tilleke & Gibbins the first firm to successfully use Thailand’s Computer Crime Act to take down trademark-infringing websites.
  • Represented numerous brand owners in product identification seminars throughout the ASEAN region to raise awareness about the widespread threats and impacts of the trade in counterfeit goods and educated and coordinated with government officers in suppressing intellectual property rights infringement.
  • Assisted a Thai food processing conglomerate to protect its famous packaging design in court by securing a landmark copyright and trade dress violation compensation award of more than THB 20 million (approximately USD 670,000).
  • Coordinated with our in-house investigation unit to uncover the source of counterfeit batteries sold through online marketplaces and trace the sellers’ whereabouts. Our assistance brought about a successful raid action, prevented the distribution of fake goods to end users, and continues to serve as a deterrent to other potential infringers in the market.
  • Represented a highly regarded Japanese automotive and motorcycle manufacturer in several related design patent infringement matters. This culminated in a civil suit filed with Thailand’s Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court against the infringers, in which we secured a resounding victory for our client. In its landmark ruling, the court awarded our client the largest civil lawsuit compensation amount to date for a design patent infringement case in Thailand at THB 68.65 million (about USD 2.11 million) plus interest and fees.
  • With in-house investigators, assisted a multinational bearings company in tracing counterfeit bearings sold in Bangkok and Chon Buri Provinces to the infringers’ premises, thereby discovering the exact location of the dealer. Our assistance brought about two successful raid actions against two targets and prevented the distribution of fake goods, which netting more than 7,000 counterfeit items and serving as a deterrent to other potential infringers in the market.

Chambers Asia-Pacific
Intellectual Property 2023 – Band 4 for 2 consecutive years

WTR 1000
Trademarks (Enforcement and Litigation) 2023 – Silver Band for 4 consecutive years

IAM Patent 1000
Intellectual Property 2023 – Silver Band for 2 consecutive years

Managing IP
IP STARS 2023 – Trademark Star for 10 consecutive years
Top 250 Women in IP 2022 – Ranked Lawyer for 3 consecutive years

Asia IP
IP Experts 2023 – IP Expert for 3 consecutive years