Year in Review – Thai Law in 2016

For aircraft leasing companies, having to repossess an aircraft from an airline that misses its rental payments is usually an option of last resort. The repossession process in Thailand can be time-consuming and costly, and often precludes future earnings. However, as a number of Thai airlines have defaulted on their payments over recent years, lessors have been left with no choice but to seek recovery of their valuable assets. This article provides an overview of the practical and legal considerations of aircraft repossession in Thailand.

Thailand introduced reforms to its bankruptcy laws in 1998 in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Those reforms introduced business reorganisation provisions similar to the Chapter 11 provisions of the US Bankruptcy Code. Further amendments have been made to the Thai bankruptcy laws, which are now governed by the Bankruptcy Act BE 2483 (1940) as amended by the Bankruptcy Act (No. 7) BE 2547 (2004).

A partnership begins with a splash of optimism—a toast to the future and a plan for capitalizing on business opportunities. But what happens when it all goes wrong? Aggressive creditors may force a partnership into bankruptcy and certain individual partners may be required to follow. This article is a primer on the bankruptcy liability of partners.

A person’s debts do not come to an end just because he or she has died. After the debtor has passed away, the creditor is entitled to seek repayment of the debt from the debtor’s estate. Some debtors have life insurance under which the insurer will pay compensation to the beneficiaries stated in the policy, the debtor’s heirs where no beneficiaries are specified in the policy and, in certain cases, the debtor’s creditors. Under the Civil and Commercial Code of Thailand, creditors are entitled to be repaid from insurance benefits in three specific circumstances, as detailed below.

Death is not always final, at least not for juristic persons under Thai law. Under certain circumstances, companies can be revived after being legally declared defunct or dissolved. This article will discuss how and when such companies can be restored.

Dissolved vs. Defunct

New amendments to Thailand’s Bankruptcy Act aim to: (1) streamline the procedures which require court approval in reviewing claims for repayment of debt; (2) allow creditors additional time to file a claim for debt repayment if the cause of late filing was a force majeure  event; and (3) increase the current penalties to match present economic and social conditions.

Thailand is no stranger to tumultuous events, be it unrest in the Deep South, widespread flooding, economic slowdowns in trading partners, domestic protests, exchange rate instability, global economic crises, or flailing tourism.

In order to receive royalties, a trademark owner may license out its trademark rights to another party. To license trademark rights, a trademark license agreement must be made in writing and registered at the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), in accordance with Section 68 of the Thai Trademark Act. If a trademark license agreement is not registered, it will be void, according to Section 152 of the Civil and Commercial Code and the support of various Supreme Court judgments (Decisions 7770/2547, 6436/2543, and 6190/2550).

Thailand's amended Bankruptcy Act (No. 9) B.E. 2559 (2016) (the "Amendment") was published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette on 24 May 2016 and came into force on 25 May 2016. The Amendment is specifically aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It introduces a new scheme which allows SMEs to enter into Court-supervised business rehabilitations.