Legislation To Stamp Out Cd Piracy 'at Its Roots'

[george]

Legislation to stamp out CD piracy 'at its roots'

BANGKOK, Dec 4 (TNA) - The Ministry of Commerce is preparing legislation which the government hopes will root out CD piracy, following widespread reports that Thailand is increasingly being targeted by CD counterfeiters from China and Taiwan.

Describing CD piracy as a problem of national importance, Deputy Commerce Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday that the Department of Intellectual Property was liaising with the private sector to launch a sustained crackdown on counterfeiting operations.

Mr. Anutin said that recent government efforts had considerably reduced the number of counterfeited CDs being produced, but conceded that more work needed to be done in order to minimize piracy as much as possible.

The Department of Intellectual Property hopes to bring about an 80 percent reduction in the number of counterfeit CDs being produced in 12 specially targeted 'red areas' nationwide.

Although in most areas this target has been achieved, the department now hopes to educate the public about the importance of copyright legislation to help prevent the sale of counterfeit goods.

But Mr. Thienchai Pinwiset, legal services director for the Motion Picture Association (Thailand), pointed to widespread counterfeiting operations despite more stringent anti-piracy measures.

Last year, copyright owners lost an estimated USD28 million as a result of CD counterfeiting in Thailand.

The problem, according to Mr. Thienchai, is no longer one of price, as the price of legal CDs has been reduced in an attempt to stamp out piracy.

Consumers, however, continue to prefer pirated CDs as they appear before the legal copies and are uncensored.

He also pointed to legal loopholes which allowed counterfeiters from countries where piracy rates were high, such as China and Taiwan, to invest in Thailand.

More than 60 percent of Thai counterfeiting operations were owned by investors from these two countries, he said.

Nonetheless, he expressed hope that new legislation due to come into force next year would help reduce the problem.

-- TNA 2004-12-04

[sas_cars]

Why don't ask these policy implementors regarding this issue that if they ever bought a copy righted cd by themselves And you will know the answer that why illegal cds can't be stopped from making in Thailand

[ovenman]

BANGKOK, Dec 4 (TNA) - The Ministry of Commerce is preparing legislation which the government hopes will root out CD piracy, following widespread reports that Thailand is increasingly being targeted by CD counterfeiters from China and Taiwan.

In other words, this isn't a problem up 'til now as long as the counterfeiters are Thai?

[tuky]

Well, perhaps they should close all pubs, bars and discos at 12 midnight it might help stamp out vcd piracy!!!

[astral]

1. If the problem is in China, no amount of legislation here is going to help.

2. How about educating the copyright holders that they will never sell cd's or dvd's here at full price. The average Thai cannot afford it!!

[cojones]

I confidently predict that Pantip Plaza will sell counterfiet software until the earth is attacked by aliens , and Elvis Presley is found alive

[p1p]

Note, they only said they wish to stop the 60% of foreign Chinese owned piracy operations. The 40% of local Chinese operations must be complaining of the competition.

[RDN]

I confidently predict that Pantip Plaza will sell counterfiet software until the earth is attacked by aliens , and Elvis Presley is found alive

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

- even if you have to go into the secret rooms, around the back and up the stairs to get it. Which of course I have never done

[toklong]

The real pirate is the recording industry.

[Ijustwannateach]

As long as the market is unreasonable, a more reasonable black market will exist- there's no way, relative to individual salaries, to market software here at a fair relative price. However, there's no way to prevent foreigners from buying software cheaply here and using it legally back where it would cost more. What's the solution? I dunno, maybe Linux!

[et33.com]

who cares

humans will always want it good and cheap

and workable for a reasonable time frame

and it's enough...

[Phil Conners]

Actually I find original software is so cheap in Thailand that it's hardly worth messing with the substandard/cracked/downloaded from internet stuff you get on the pirate cd's.

Just bought (original) "Half Life 2" @ 999 B ... RRP in US is ~ 2000 B ($49). A Thai-only version was even less, just 599 B. Was offered a pirate version @ 300 B ... (4 CD's or one DVD) "no play online".

[fourbaht]

Just waiting for the usual crap holier than thou response from PvtDick, come on Dick don't let is all down, we know you are lurking out their just bursting at the seams waiting to preach to all of us non believers.