Pirated Goods Seized In Sukhumvit Soi 5

[Americanmade]

I guess this means no more Tommy Hillfiger underwear for me !

[brahmburgers]

Donald Trump seriously tried to get the phrase "You're fired" registered in his name, so he could garner royalties any time someone uttered it - I don't know whether he succeeded.

I wonder how many books/movies/music are never released because of concerns about piracy?

Though I'm a small-time author, with half a dozen titles, I am somewhat concerned with rip-offs, particularly (in my case) for e-books and audio books.

Example: there's an Idioms Dictionary that I've been working on for several years - many thousands of hours. I started from the ground up (an idiom) making lists, and it's now up to 17,000 listings - quite possibly the largest in the world. However, to market it as an E-book involves the risk that it would be easy for others to copy the file and sell it, with me getting no compensation. I can copyright it, but what good will that really do in the real world? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Edited May 20, 2009 by brahmburgers

[johna]

<<SNIP>> but patents are a monopoly that distort the market and kill competition, Microsoft's market dominance allows it to absorb or destroy any software competitors.

I setup my own business. Not too many staff in the early days,

and we were up against two very big players in the market.

We needed patents to protect ourselves from those two large companies who

could copy our ideas and use their existing might to block us out from the market.

Patents also work for small growing businesses.

Patents are not bad if they adhere to the pre 1982 standard of "originality" but since 82 its out of control, and with the advent of "interlocking patents" with there attendant downstream royalty payments only the army of lawyers you need to negotiate these agreements benefit.

[crocodilexp]

The designer companies are so greedy any ways. They just want all the money for themselves. It is outrageous when a small LV bag cost more than 20,000 bth. I have no sympathy for these mega million $ companies anyway,

If being greedy was a crime, most of the world would be criminal.

Nobody needs LV bags to survive... this is quite different from drug companies where excessive greed can cost lives. It's even different from software piracy which can sometimes provide a some benefit to young people learning about technology (and expand valuable user base for companies).

If you make something pretty and desirable, why not charge as much as you can get away with? IP law is imperfect, but let's face it, most pirates are thieves and leeches living off others -- if it wasn't for piracy, there would be a market for sensible alternatives.

Every fake LV bag sold is NOT a lost sale for LV (which is too expensive). It is a lost sale for a small designer or artisan (quite likely a local, Thai one) that makes an original, legal product in the similar price range as the fake.

In my opinion, the latter are more valuable than either LV, the Chinese pirates profiting from stealing other's effort, or Sukhumwit street vendors.

Edited May 20, 2009 by crocodilexp

[DutchPAD]

I also walk in the street rather than the sidewalk.

I knew something was wrong when A Rolex only cost $10, and a designer bag cost, maybe $20. These poor vendors trying to make a living. I'm assuming there wasn't a free-for-all like what happened at Patpong (sp?). Doesn't all that stuff come from China? This must be turning into a show for the US. Otherwise, they're going to piss-off the Chinese, and I'm pretty sure they don't want to do that.

And these actions are hurting Thailand as well, as thousands of sellers, re-sellers and even crooked cops are loosing money on this

[Plus]

Every fake LV bag sold is NOT a lost sale for LV (which is too expensive). It is a lost sale for a small designer or artisan (quite likely a local, Thai one) that makes an original, legal product in the similar price range as the fake.

That's quite a stretch. Majority of fakes are actually original designs, they don't evern try to copy the real thing, like Nike t-shirts.

[DaleBlue]

Columbia Sportswear busts Thai counterfeiters

by Richard Read, The Oregonian Thursday May 28, 2009, 9:15 PM

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.s...busts_thai.html

[Plus]

I didn't read the whole story, but it appears that Thai Chinee woman was busted with Cambodian made fakes at a border tow.

How do Thai counterfeiters got involved? Is it somewhere down the page?

[DaleBlue]

I didn't read the whole story, but it appears that Thai Chinee woman was busted with Cambodian made fakes at a border tow.

How do Thai counterfeiters got involved? Is it somewhere down the page?

There are almost no Thai counterfeiters. Never have, in significant amount.

99.9% comes from China. The other 0.01% comes from poor country (Thailand included).

[simonphuket]

<<SNIP>> but patents are a monopoly that distort the market and kill competition, Microsoft's market dominance allows it to absorb or destroy any software competitors.

I setup my own business. Not too many staff in the early days,

and we were up against two very big players in the market.

We needed patents to protect ourselves from those two large companies who

could copy our ideas and use their existing might to block us out from the market.

Patents also work for small growing businesses.

Exactly! Well said. My company was fairly small sized and we invested 200 man years(!) in a software product. We would never have done that is there was no such thing as copyright. Software, movies, music, drugs and other goods are just too easy to copy. Most of the costs for them are in R&D, not in the actual cost of materials.

[walterego]

is it right or is it wrong? I think both arguments have contentions of worth. However I cannot imagine Bangkok as a city at night without bustling broken concrete sidewalks, conterfeit goods of every description, illegal lotterys, lepers and self inflicted mutilations begging, tuk tuks haggling over ten baht. Much as I agree with you that patents etc should be respected it is a part of Thai culture I love and I hope BKK never ever losess it.

Keep the sidewalk stands the fake shoes and watches the handbags,logo wallets and fake ids laneways full of firearm fake and real stalls. Lose them and lose an identity that brings us all at some point to the buying table.

[torrenova]

A friend went to buy some copy DVDs yesterday.

The vendors said they could not sell.

Goes to show, the police can stop it...when they want to.

The BMA control every centimeter of the footpaths.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29324583@N05/...4418287/detail/

And here is the crux of the matter. He could not sell, not that he had nothing to sell.

When he is told he can sell again, he will do so !

[harleyclarkey]

I don't know which is harder to believe: The people on ThaiVisa who defend these people, or the actual criminals doing the selling.

Someone mentioned it will drive tourists away--Do you really think people come here to buy fake designer products? And if they do, they are probably the same type of people who come here to get cheap drugs.

And saying it has no impact on the 'real' product maybe true--but somebody owns the right to the 'real' product.

It's against the law and laws should be enforced. If not, they can suspend the law and take whatever consequences go with that--they had no trouble doing it with the compulsory drug licensing issue.

Hold up there Scott. I do buy Tshirts, knicks etc. at what is probably closer to the real market value of the product rather than the extortion asked for by the rip off, hypocritical, label/designer houses.

Yes, I buy cheap "fakes"... I don't buy cheap drugs....in fact the only drug I'm fond of here is that addictive bugger....Chang.

[harleyclarkey]

This brings to mind.....I was in Pan Tip 2 years back. I noticed all the DVD/CD stalls were closed and empty of all goods. There was a big commotion and lo and behold.....TV cameras heralded in by a very agitated woman. What followed would have done justice to a parade of admirals........the local police chief with all his braid and medals. How he managed to stand upright with all the metal is beyond me. Anyway, he made a fuss and a speech about porn/illegal DVD's. After handing our some leaflets and storming off with his lemmings, it was business as usual within 5 minutes.

[Oberkommando]

I find it hard to have sympathy with big companies like the one in the article above that move operations to Asia to increase profits then get all upset when they find their products are being imitated by the same slave-wage workforce they are exploiting.

One of the ways these large companies avoid taking responsibility for working conditions is to sub-contract to local manufacturers and not own any of the factories themselves.

And to the poster that alleges that Thais don't fake a lot of stuff that is simply untrue. They are just not as good at it as the Chinese or the Koreans, but most of the fake junk you see on the street stalls in Thailand is locally produced.

[zzaa09]

The shop will probably be open again in a couple of days and the 'confiscated goods' back on sale. And why raid one shop when there are hundreds in that area? More token action from the authorities, who almost certainly profit from this business.

Exactly. The bottom line is, business is business.

[LaoPo]

It was kind of "funny" to see on page 2 of this thread that Thaivisa is -unwillingly and indirectly I suppose- cooperating with fake suppliers.

On the top as well as bottom of the page 2 major websites posted their goods through "ads by Google".

One of them, amongst other items, had a Louis Vuitton bag for sale for a mere $ 350.00, down from $ 3,500.00. They still have 500 pcs for sale; better hurry.

Advertised: Monogram Canvas Etoile Shopper

(was) $3,500.00 now: $350.00

* Model: NEW ARRIVALS 11

* 500 Units in Stock

In China there are many factories, from small to large, producing fake goods; designer bags are wanted all over the world and they have very sophisticated websites.

They make bags and other goods like sunglasses, fashion, sportshoes, watches in various grades/qualities: the AAA grade (like above) is the best-made and topquality and very hard to determine if it's genuine or not and also not cheap for a fake.

They even supply the online-buyer with original paperwork and even an invoice from a genuine designer shop in Hong Kong!

It's not so difficult to have fake goods shipped into Thailand; there are many ways.

The original manufacturers SAY they dislike this copy-industry but in fact smile behind the curtains. I know for a fact that the Italian, French and even American designers produce many of their goods in China for an absolute minimalistic price.

In many cases they even ship details of a product (let's say a ladies bag) to China like the material, leather or certain clips etc. have them produced and sell them for absolute crazy prices, for the happy few only.

Women and men, all over the world, dream of their idols and want to have the same products as their idols but can't afford them.

That's why they buy fake goods and thus spreading the image for the original producers. Many of those buyers won't tell their family and/or friends they bought the product as a fake in order not to lose face...

And....the designers are laughing, all the way.

It's a game for the designers because it doesn't hurt them - Au Crontraire - it benefits them because the fake buyers are, for 99%, not able to buy the original but the designers KNOW, that one day....one day, maybe 5 or 10% of the fake buyers WILL buy an original

Didn't any of you wonder sometimes about the most amazing and beautiful ads you're watching on television, in magazines, F1 racing...you name it: the products they are selling cost, in fact, A MINIMUM of the price they cost in the shop; that's why they are able to spend fortunes for advertising.

The producers and designers are creating a dream, a dream the rich and famous are willing to pay a high price for.

Just a few thousand of people are able to buy those products; the millions of people who adore the designers and rich and famous wish to be in their shoes...and follow, buying fakes. But in the future a few % of the fake buyers will make enough money (or ask as a present from a loved one...) to buy a designer product themselves.

Simple -but genius- promotion.

LaoPo

[thesyndicate]

Most of the time the police sell it back to the pirates the same day for a lower fee.

[Sisaketmike]

Pirated goods seized in Sukhumvit Soi 5 area

BANGKOK: -- Yesterday, special police force raided a shop in Sukhumvit Soi 5, confiscating thousands of pirated branded watches and bags with a total value of more than 20 million baht.

Deputy Metropolitan Police Chief Wiboon Bangtamai yesterday deployed a special piracy suppression police force to raid a shop in Sukhumvit Soi 5 area, seizing more than 2,000 branded watches and 1,000 branded bags. Other garments and jewelry were confiscated as evidence while the shopkeeper was also arrested.

The area is considered as one of the five red zones for pirated products trade. The National Police Bureau has vowed to take disciplinary action against local polices for neglecting piracy problems in their area, including transfers of the local commander out of the area if the same violation was found after an arrest.

-- National News Bureau Thailand 2009-05-18

[/quo

Dear cops,

You went to a place where lots of Africans are selling coke? And the story is about some copies? Those Africans with fake passports who become English teachers after bringing that stuff into Thailand are never mentioned. because they pay you good, or what? I'm ready for a war now. Destroy all which could destroy you. How much do the have to pay you that you're acting like the three little moneykeys? (Also called monkeys) ( One can't see, one can't hear and the other one can't speak.............)