There is no specific franchise regulation but there is a longstanding draft Franchising Business Act which has not been enacted into law.
Various laws and regulations govern franchise relationships including the Civil and Commercial Code, the Unfair Contract Terms act, the Trade Competition Act and the Guidelines for the Consideration of Unfair Trade Practices in Franchise Businesses.
Under the Guidelines for the Consideration of Unfair Trade Practices in Franchise Businesses the following information must be disclosed to the franchisee prior to entering into the franchise agreement:
The franchise agreement does not need to be registered but IP licenses and/or short form licenses do need to be registered.
All IP licenses recorded at the Thai Department of Intellectual Property must be translated into the Thai language.
Contact Sher Hann Chua, Tilleke & Gibbins