Letter In Pattaya Mail Regarding 'shake-down' For

[libya 115]

SOURCE: Pattaya Mail: August 15th Edition

FROM: 'Mailbag'

Unfair policing

Editor;

My friend runs an internet shop in Pattaya and was recently raided by the Police Copyright Protection Squad.

A customer had been using a computer for some time. It is my friend’s policy to re-start the computer after such a customer leaves to ensure that any possible illegal downloads are removed with the special software he has installed for that purpose.

One minute after the customer left, before he had the opportunity to re-start the PC, about 10 police walked into the shop and found an illegal games programme downloaded by the customer who had just left.

My friend was forced to pay 35,000 baht fine or lose his PC and probably have his shop closed until the case came to court. Is that suspicious?

I think it reeks of entrapment.

It takes a lot of 30 baht customers to make up the 35,000 baht. If he had intentionally tried to steal the software the punishment may be justified, but all his software is totally legal.

Do the police think he is going to risk his business for the sake of one games programme? When are the Thai police going to get real and use their resources to curb the true criminals?

A Cavendish

[rgs2001uk]

SOURCE: Pattaya Mail: August 15th Edition

FROM: 'Mailbag'

Unfair policing

Editor;

My friend runs an internet shop in Pattaya and was recently raided by the Police Copyright Protection Squad.

A customer had been using a computer for some time. It is my friend's policy to re-start the computer after such a customer leaves to ensure that any possible illegal downloads are removed with the special software he has installed for that purpose.

One minute after the customer left, before he had the opportunity to re-start the PC, about 10 police walked into the shop and found an illegal games programme downloaded by the customer who had just left.

My friend was forced to pay 35,000 baht fine or lose his PC and probably have his shop closed until the case came to court. Is that suspicious?

I think it reeks of entrapment.

It takes a lot of 30 baht customers to make up the 35,000 baht. If he had intentionally tried to steal the software the punishment may be justified, but all his software is totally legal.

Do the police think he is going to risk his business for the sake of one games programme? When are the Thai police going to get real and use their resources to curb the true criminals?

A Cavendish

you friend wasnt forced to pay 35k baht at all, he chose to pay it.

he should have asked the 10 police to produce their id cards and whatever other documents they may have on them and made a copy of them.

he should also have invited these officers to wait in his shop while he called the police to come and sort it out.

these scum are preying on the gullible and unsuspecting.

were they actually real police, has he checked up to see if this so called police copyright protection squad actually exists and is operating with what authority.

there is one born every minute, sounds your friend is one of them.

did any of these so called officers infer or tell your friend this would be the case, if so by what authority?

statements like this are usually made to intimidate the victim into paying up.

your friend should have said , i am sorry i dont have that sort of money on my person or the premises right now, however if you can let me know where your office is located i will be along tomorrow to pay.

did he get a receipt?

where does the figure of 35k baht come from, made up on the spot no doubt.

just one of the bonuses of doing business in thailand.

[thaiflyer1]

you friend wasnt forced to pay 35k baht at all, he chose to pay it.

he should have asked the 10 police to produce their id cards and whatever other documents they may have on them and made a copy of them.

he should also have invited these officers to wait in his shop while he called the police to come and sort it out.

these scum are preying on the gullible and unsuspecting.

were they actually real police, has he checked up to see if this so called police copyright protection squad actually exists and is operating with what authority.

there is one born every minute, sounds your friend is one of them.

did any of these so called officers infer or tell your friend this would be the case, if so by what authority?

statements like this are usually made to intimidate the victim into paying up.

your friend should have said , i am sorry i dont have that sort of money on my person or the premises right now, however if you can let me know where your office is located i will be along tomorrow to pay.

did he get a receipt?

where does the figure of 35k baht come from, made up on the spot no doubt.

just one of the bonuses of doing business in thailand.

Rgs2001uk..........dont hold your breath waiting for a reply to your questions...........libya 115 was posting a letter from this weeks Pattaya Mail.

(I agree with you though)

[Kerryd]

Yeah, better off to send a letter to the editor of the Pattaya Mail with the questions (probably wouldn't get published though).

Seems a little too convenient though (the story). The owner always reboots after a customer has been on a computer for a considerable period, but the police (in this case) walk in (within a minute of the customer leaving) and find illegal software ?

I wonder if they checked all the machines, or just that one ? If they only looked at the one that had just been used, it smacks of a set up. Was this recently departed customer Thai ? Possibly had a grudge against the owner for some reason ? 10 police officers to raid a lone internet shop ? (uniformed ? Or just said they were police ?)

Were they regular Thai police ? Did the owner contact the Tourist Police ? Did he get a receipt for the fine, or any other paperwork ?

It has been in the news recently that the police were cracking down on various internet shops for a couple of reasons, but I think it was mostly to do with opening hours and underage users or something ?

//edited to add a missing ")"

Edited August 16, 2008 by Kerryd

[OZEMADE]

SOURCE: Pattaya Mail: August 15th Edition

FROM: 'Mailbag'

Unfair policing

Editor;

My friend runs an internet shop in Pattaya and was recently raided by the Police Copyright Protection Squad.

A customer had been using a computer for some time. It is my friend's policy to re-start the computer after such a customer leaves to ensure that any possible illegal downloads are removed with the special software he has installed for that purpose.

One minute after the customer left, before he had the opportunity to re-start the PC, about 10 police walked into the shop and found an illegal games programme downloaded by the customer who had just left.

My friend was forced to pay 35,000 baht fine or lose his PC and probably have his shop closed until the case came to court. Is that suspicious?

I think it reeks of entrapment.

It takes a lot of 30 baht customers to make up the 35,000 baht. If he had intentionally tried to steal the software the punishment may be justified, but all his software is totally legal.

Do the police think he is going to risk his business for the sake of one games programme? When are the Thai police going to get real and use their resources to curb the true criminals?

A Cavendish

I wonder if the same Police Copyright Protection Squad ever did a raid on SOPHON Cable TV and close them down for using copies of burnt DVD's and without the authority of the artist and or their company.

[Hssl]

so bar the set up computer what did they really do wrong?

[DonTron]

Your friend should have taken the police by the hand and shown them down along Beachroad where hundreds of people are selling copy DVD's and CD's - then he should take them to TukCom (IT city), up on the 4th floor and shown them the 50 shops selling copyrighted software - and then he should take them by Mikes Plaza and shown them the hundreds of shops selling copied clothes and other copy brand goods - and then.... etc. etc.

If he just paid them 35K for a case like you describe, then he must be pretty naive.

[NanLaew]

Once again, the OP is a cut n' paste of a letter in a local rag.

No need to ask questions or offer advice here.

Another waste of bandwidth.

[Humphrey Bear]

you friend wasnt forced to pay 35k baht at all, he chose to pay it.

he should have asked the 10 police to produce their id cards and whatever other documents they may have on them and made a copy of them.

One person (male/female? - doesn't matter) taking on 10 alleged police? Even I would think twice or even three times. And I'm a nutter. These sound like the 'copyright protection' police who are a special set-up and are always mob-handed. They are not police as such, but are officially appointed and seem to have their own rules, not clear to anyone else.

he should also have invited these officers to wait in his shop while he called the police to come and sort it out.

See above

these scum are preying on the gullible and unsuspecting.

As I said above - these are an officially appointed set of people who supposedly monitor the copyright abuses and licence fees paid to the copyright holder to sell/use the product.

were they actually real police, has he checked up to see if this so called police copyright protection squad actually exists and is operating with what authority.

there is one born every minute, sounds your friend is one of them.

did any of these so called officers infer or tell your friend this would be the case, if so by what authority?

statements like this are usually made to intimidate the victim into paying up.

your friend should have said , i am sorry i dont have that sort of money on my person or the premises right now, however if you can let me know where your office is located i will be along tomorrow to pay.

did he get a receipt?

If this was the copyright boys - he probably did. They have to account for the money they collect (well, most of it) to the holders of the copyright.

where does the figure of 35k baht come from, made up on the spot no doubt.

just one of the bonuses of doing business in thailand.

Don't just blame the Thais. This is big business at work - the clothing and recording industries are 'losing' billions because the general public no longer pays inflated prices for goods that can be bought cheaply in markets / down-loaded for free. If these organisations tried to market their goods at reasonable prices there wouldn't be so much copyright theft. Indy labels survive, artists record independently, low-cost slothing can be attractive - just means you have to work harder at your chosen business.

[gk10002000]

Interesting post. I recall some news a few months ago about the "copyright" police visiting all the bars and go-gos and collecting "royalties" for the copyrighted music they play. I recall the pattaya officials stepping in and identifying and specifying who is authorized to collect such things from the businesses in agreement with the international and copyright laws.

Kind of interested me because I always wondered who and how such things are monitored. I live in the US and it made me think about all the discos and bars that play music. Do they pay some fee somehow for each song? Is the fee paid up front when buys the CD and it is folded into the price?

I am sure we have all seen those disclaimers and copyright notices at the beginning of DVDs we have bought.

[NotNew2You]

Kind of interested me because I always wondered who and how such things are monitored. I live in the US and it made me think about all the discos and bars that play music. Do they pay some fee somehow for each song? Is the fee paid up front when buys the CD and it is folded into the price?

I am sure we have all seen those disclaimers and copyright notices at the beginning of DVDs we have bought.

There are special companies set-up by the film and music industries to handle the collection of royalties and fees for use of their copyrighted material. Generally, everytime a film is shown (or clip used in some other work) or piece of music is played a royalty and license is required. I would assume they operate or have designated companies who handle this same sort of thing for them in Thailand.

For places like clubs, restaurants, bars, etc., where they play a music over and over by a bunch of different artists, a type of license covering the playing the music in the specific setting applied for is available.