Software Piracy In Thailand Remains High

[george]

Software piracy in Thailand remains high

BANGKOK: -- Thailand continues to be a major centre for software piracy, with 79 per cent of all programmes installed on personal computers in 2004 obtained illegally.

However, according to new international research released here today by the software business alliance BES, the figure does represent a slight, one per cent fall on the previous year.

BES said software piracy hurt the Thai economy and cost the Thai government around US$183 million in lost tax revenue.

The report was compiled by the International Data Corporation, a research company for global telecommunication and information technology (IT) sectors.

A BES spokesman praised the increased cooperation between Thailand's public and private sectors in cracking down on the problem, but conceded there was still disappointment the level of illegal software usage had fallen only slightly over the year.

BES also announced it was joining forces with a number of major agencies in Thailand, including the Stock Exchange, to launch an awareness campaign among private firms about the need to protect intellectual property rights.

According to the IDC data, Vietnam had the highest record of software violation cases in 2004 (92 per cent), followed by Ukraine (91 per cent), China and Zimbabwe (90 per cent), and Indonesia (87 per cent).

The United States had the lowest record of software violation cases last year (21 percent), followed by New Zealand (23 per cent), Austria (25 per cent), Sweden (26 per cent) and the United Kingdom (27 per cent).

According to the IDC study, overall software violations in the Asia Pacific region last year accounted for 53 per cent, the same as the previous year.

However, the damage to various economies caused by the software violations increased to US$8.0 billion in 2004, from US$7.5 billion in 2003.

--TNA 2005-05-18

[custard]

Who cares ? Do you expect the average Thai living on 6,000-8,000 baht a month to spend half or all his money on copyright software ?

Desite a massive scale of software privacy, Bill Gates remains by far the richest man on the planet after all

[peter991]

Software piracy will remain high in Thailand and many other countries until software companies start selling their products at realistic prices.

I couldn't even start to estimate how much pirated software is sold at Pantip Plaza each day.

What did strike me as interesting in the article was: BES said software piracy hurt the Thai economy and cost the Thai government around US$183 million in lost tax revenue.

That's a big amount in anybody's language.

This post is written on a computer using a licenced version of Windows XP Pro with SP2.

[Johpa]

What did strike me as interesting in the article was: BES said software piracy hurt the Thai economy and cost the Thai government around US$183 million in lost tax revenue.

That's a big amount in anybody's language.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But then what is the gain to the Thai economy by having affordable, although admittedly pirated, software? Would Thailand be better off with its small business folks, students and middle class not participating in the digital world?

Bill Gates should look at Panthip Plaza as akin to the "Mothers Club" at his old high school that provided him with a computer at no charge when he entered the ninth grade.

[slimdog]

The figure quoted by BES is only true if a company or individual budgeted say B6000 for each piece of software, bought a pirated version in Panthip and left the remaining B5900 in their back pocket or company safe and never used it.

If a company had 12 computers and installed pirated software on all of them, and used the "savings" to hire someone at B5900 a month for a year then the Thai economy would actually benefit as all the money would remain in Thailand rather than being exported to America.

[Zarkow]

The figure quoted by BES is only true if a company or individual budgeted say B6000 for each piece of software, bought a pirated version in Panthip and left the remaining B5900 in their back pocket or company safe and never used it.

If a company had 12 computers and installed pirated software on all of them, and used the "savings" to hire someone at B5900 a month for a year then the Thai economy would actually benefit as all the money would remain in Thailand rather than being exported to America.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Psch, don't come here and use logic. It will only confuse the raving anti-piracy-organisations (Read: lobby-groups for multinational mega-corps).

[bambob]

Billy Boy has enough cash .

besides there is more pirate s/w on sale thruout the UK nowadays.

Chinese and Thai peddlars hang outside PC world and boot fairs have tons of stock .

[Abandon]

software pirates now??? You mean that while I am surfing the web some dastardly pirate is going to suprise me and steal all my software ???

Surely they can just make a copy and leave me with mine!!

[mnoorsapl]

Billy Boy has enough cash .

besides there is more pirate s/w on sale thruout the UK nowadays.

Chinese and Thai peddlars hang outside PC world and boot fairs have tons of stock .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Billy start up with nothing, did not finish college,no money and no software to his credit. stole software from others to call his own and is about time others stole from him.

" have tons of stock" in UK?

[The Coder]

BES said software piracy hurt the Thai economy and cost the Thai government around US$183 million in lost tax revenue.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I suspect this number assumes 100% of people pirating would otherwise buy the real version of ALL their pirated software. This is false of course. In the real world, lost tax revenue would be a meagre amount.

[patricktan]

Pirated software in Thailand is not cheap if you compare with Malaysia and China.

[Sphere]

...the figure does represent a slight, one per cent fall on the previous year.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Shall we conclude that the crackdown was a major success?

[mnoorsapl]

Pirated software in Thailand is not cheap if you compare with Malaysia and China.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed. According to reliable resources, the cost of making a pirated copy in China is a few cent. These pirates making tons of $$$ illegally.

[Johpa]

Billy start up with nothing, did not finish college,no money and no software to his credit. stole software from others to call his own and is about time others stole from him.

There are plenty of good reasons to criticize Gates, but he (and Allen along with the unknown third amigo) was a top tier programmer before he finished high school and was already a peer of the top college professors at that time relative to computers. He came from an affluent family living in an affluent neighborhood but remains as naive as his peers about the realities of the "developing" world such as Thailand.

[stumonster]

from

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20050518/tc_nf/35144

Another key finding in the report focused on piracy rates per country. Piracy decreased in 37 countries, increased in 34 and remained consistent in 16.

In 24 of the countries studied, the piracy rate exceeded 75 percent. Countries with the highest rates were Vietnam, Ukraine, China, Zimbabwe and Indonesia.

Those with the lowest piracy rates were the United States, New Zealand, Austria, Sweden and the United Kingdom

does not mention thailand

[aaaaaa]

Who cares ?  Do you expect the average Thai living on 6,000-8,000 baht a month to spend half or all his money on copyright software ?

Desite a massive scale of software privacy, Bill Gates remains by far the richest man on the planet after all 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

and most probably after all they do get their share , be it whatever tiny or indirect, from all the pirated goods ...

I mean - I remember big furror in Taiwan b4 Win XP official realese. BUT my taiwanese friend has been using it already few month without problems.

in Malaysia after first crackdowns in 99 and 2000 I though - paradise lost, won't be able to buy anymore againg. to my big surprise after 1.5 year I return to Penang only to find that whole floor in newly opened biggest Mall entirely used by shops selling all the pirated AND prices has gone cheaper - if before it used to be 10RM per CD, now it can buy 3 !

and surelythose who are in law enforcement - they'd rather get their share from "offenders" than doing impossible and useless monkey work of trying to stop the piracy. yeah, once in a while they'd report some figures - that we do our work - perhaps after mutually agreeing with mafia for sacrificing a bit of plastic ... and after that it goes on as normal.

[mnoorsapl]

Who cares ?  Do you expect the average Thai living on 6,000-8,000 baht a month to spend half or all his money on copyright software ?

Desite a massive scale of software privacy, Bill Gates remains by far the richest man on the planet after all 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

and most probably after all they do get their share , be it whatever tiny or indirect, from all the pirated goods ...

I mean - I remember big furror in Taiwan b4 Win XP official realese. BUT my taiwanese friend has been using it already few month without problems.

in Malaysia after first crackdowns in 99 and 2000 I though - paradise lost, won't be able to buy anymore againg. to my big surprise after 1.5 year I return to Penang only to find that whole floor in newly opened biggest Mall entirely used by shops selling all the pirated AND prices has gone cheaper - if before it used to be 10RM per CD, now it can buy 3 !

and surelythose who are in law enforcement - they'd rather get their share from "offenders" than doing impossible and useless monkey work of trying to stop the piracy. yeah, once in a while they'd report some figures - that we do our work - perhaps after mutually agreeing with mafia for sacrificing a bit of plastic ... and after that it goes on as normal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The only way to fight back piracy is to make the original software as affordable to the public. May be to the extreme, same price as 10RM for for 3 CD???

[aaaaaa]

I'm sure "pirates" would find way to fight it back by making ever better offers !

so, I think if we are realy talking about how to stop piracy - then the only solution would be - to stop production of any software ! which is absurd of course, same goes for other copyrighted products more or less, as well as "intelletual properties".

some friend has told me once simple folk truth : "as many and rigid would be restriction - they'll only accomplish creating more ways around"

[Mr Red]

Billy Boy has enough cash .

besides there is more pirate s/w on sale thruout the UK nowadays.

Chinese and Thai peddlars hang outside PC world and boot fairs have tons of stock .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Billy start up with nothing, did not finish college,no money and no software to his credit. stole software from others to call his own and is about time others stole from him.

" have tons of stock" in UK?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

While I do think Bill Gates is doing fine and can afford some piracy (cost of doing business), he did not steal software. He did develop the Altair BASIC interpreter (give him some credit) and went on to work out a deal with IBM to have the rights to what became MS-DOS. Smart operator, but not a thief.

Jealousy is not a reason to steal from someone. Actually, I can't think of a reason to steal from someone.

[Heng]

It's time the BSA, Bill Gates, etc. started paying their dues to the local Tessakij, CSD, Metro Police, and Tourist Police.

[slimdog]

Quote

"While I do think Bill Gates is doing fine and can afford some piracy (cost of doing business), he did not steal software. He did develop the Altair BASIC interpreter (give him some credit) and went on to work out a deal with IBM to have the rights to what became MS-DOS. Smart operator, but not a thief.

Jealousy is not a reason to steal from someone. Actually, I can't think of a reason to steal from someone."

The following is an extract from

DR. EDGAR DAVID VILLANUEVA NUÑEZ.

Congressman of the Republica of Perú

in a letter to Microsoft.

Quote

"The inclusion of the intellectual property of others in works claimed as one's own is not a practice that has been noted in the free software community; whereas, unfortunately, it has been in the area of proprietry software. As an example, the condemnation by the Commercial Court of Nanterre, France, on 27th September 2001 of Microsoft Corp. to a penalty of 3 million francs in damages and interest, for violation of intellectual property (piracy, to use the unfortunate term that your firm commonly uses in its publicity)."

Full letter can be found at:

http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn...012-26-OS-SM-LL

[mnoorsapl]

Freeware, shareware and save $$$.