Thai Authorities Destroy 600,000 Counterfeit Items Violating Intellectual Property Laws

[webfact]

Thai authorities destroy 600,000 counterfeit items violating intellectual property laws

BANGKOK: -- The Thai authorities on Wednesday burned over 600,000 items violating intellectual property rights following Thailand's court rulings concerning intellectual property right violation cases.

The collaboration for burning the 613,374 items was between the Intellectual Property Department, the Commerce Ministry, the Royal Thai Police and related private sector organisations.

After presiding over the ceremony, Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot said it is the third instance this year of destroying all counterfeit goods, weighing around 90 tonnes in total, with a value accounting to Bt2.2 billion.

Among all burnt items, 129,270 pieces were seized by the Economic and Cyber Crime Police Division (ECD Police), 40,803 by the Metropolitan Police Bureau, 91,659 by varied Provincial Police Regions, 202,621 by the Thai Customs Department, and 149,021 items from the Special Investigation Department (DSI).

Mr Alongkorn said the destruction process was environmentally friendly and chemically correct according to a complete system in a cement stove. The waste of some energy and minerals can be recycled and reused, while non-recyclable waste will be further destroyed with an appropriate method.

The deputy commerce minister said the government continues to give serious importance to cracking down and preventing violations of intellectual property rights. Stricter measures to deal with the matter were launched for higher efficiency results.

He added the government was confident that the United States will review Thailand's status, moving it from being a country on the US government's Priority Watch List (PWL) to being a country on its Watch List (WL). (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-09-15

[Crushdepth]

Oh good, its National Crush Pirated Goods Day again. How many pirated goods do you think are on sale in Pantip at this very moment?

[SIAMPEDIA]

Oh good, its National Crush Pirated Goods Day again. How many pirated goods do you think are on sale in Pantip at this very moment?

I think more than 80%-90% off software on offer in Pantip are copies

It´ the same once or twice every year - thats just a showoff event for the press

loads off officials earn to much in the bussiness to realy want to do something about it

Just my 2 cents

SIAMPEDIA

[webfact]

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

90 tons of pirated goods, worth about Bt2 bn destroyed

Thai authorities used bulldozers to destroy more than 600,000 pirated goods, worth about Bt2.2 billion, in a ceremony at the Crime Suppression Division headquarters on Wednesday.

The ceremony was presided over by Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Polabutr.

Alongkorn said the bulldozers destroyed a total of 613,374 products including game machines, mobile phones, watches, shoes, CDs and DVDs. The products weighed about 90 tons and were worth Bt2.265 billion.

This is the third ceremony held to destroying pirated goods so far this year, the minister said.

The ceremony was witnessed by celebrities, singers, movie stars and owners of the violated brands.

The destruction of the pirated products is aimed at preventing the pirated goods from being resold on the market, Alongkorn said, adding that the ceremony showed the transparency of the procedure.

The destruction is in line with the World Trade Organisation's Trade Related Intellectual Properties Agreement, to which Thailand and 152 other countries are signatories.

Siam City Cement Public Company will use the Geocycle system of the incinerator at its Saraburi factory to deal with the destroyed products so that the material can be reused.

-- The Nation 2010-09-15

[Tropicalevo]

No way of knowing, but I would guess that Thailand sells more counterfeit products than this every day.

[Thules]

If these reported figures, and my maths, are correct, then each item would be valued at about UKP 78 each. That average seems pretty high even if the items were real.

[thailandbluegrass]

Why not give it all to the poor in the North?

[Renbe]

Am happy to read that this problem is finally and completely solved

[whybother]

If these reported figures, and my maths, are correct, then each item would be valued at about UKP 78 each. That average seems pretty high even if the items were real.

How much is a Gucci bag in the UK? Or how much is Microsoft Office DVD? Probably a lot more than UKP 78.

[tomyummer]

"The ceremony was witnessed by celebrities, singers, movie stars and owners of the violated brands."

Wow great. Was Bill Gates there?

[tomyummer]

Why not give it all to the poor in the North?

Yes, great idea. I'd like to see the elephants wearing full body cd-armor on the streets, not just the 3-4 dangling reflector cd's.

[stolidfeline]

Good thinking. Then they can all come to Bangkok and sell it on the streets.

Idiot.

Why not give it all to the poor in the North?

[dominique355]

Actually this is quite an accomplishment considering how difficult it is to have the authorities move in and confiscate counterfeit goods. Half the time when they arrive, miraculously all pirate goods has vanished.

It is important to stage these police raids in total secrecy and that's hard here.

The stuff they have destroyed here is probably the totality they have been able to confiscate in the last 6 months or so.

[nikkoid66]

My GF bag is still here... sigh.

Edited September 15, 2010 by nikkoid66

[surangw]

"The ceremony was witnessed by celebrities, singers, movie stars and owners of the violated brands."

Wow great. Was Bill Gates there?

they do put on a good show of it, too bad its the same plot every act

[asiawatcher]

More PR to show the world Thailand is doing the right thing. What a croc....

[craigt3365]

More PR to show the world Thailand is doing the right thing. What a croc....

What a croc is right. When I was in New York City a few years ago I saw TONS of counterfeit items for sale. The shops in Chinatown are full of them and sold right in the open. Not to mention the Africans who set out a blanket in Times Square and sell counterfeit DVDs. The US needs to clean up it's act also...and I am sure the same happens in other "first world" countries....

[thailandbluegrass]

Good thinking. Then they can all come to Bangkok and sell it on the streets.

Idiot.

Why not give it all to the poor in the North?

And what is your Operating system You are using right now on your computer? Genuine Windows I'm sure?

What is your Anti-virus your using? Im sure you also paid 1,500 baht for the original Bitdefender?

Also why do you need to call me an Idiot?

You think if you gave a "copy" mobile phone or a CD to a poor farmer in Issan that he would immiedietly pay 600 baht for a bus ticket to Bkk and a return ticket so he can sell it to you for 100 baht? You think if you gave some "copy" Adidas shoes or hooded jackets to these people up here because soon it will be so cold that more people will be dying of hypothermia again that they would run down to Bkk to sell them?

Its not just CD's they are burning you know. These cloths and shoes would be great for the poor farmers here and their children. But don't think about then mate, you just keep eating the rice they grow and all the fruit and vegetables and be happy they arer freezing while the government is burning good clothes.

However thanks for "flaming" me anyways

[dominique355]

Good thinking. Then they can all come to Bangkok and sell it on the streets.

Idiot.

Why not give it all to the poor in the North?

And what is your Operating system You are using right now on your computer? Genuine Windows I'm sure?

What is your Anti-virus your using? Im sure you also paid 1,500 baht for the original Bitdefender?

Also why do you need to call me an Idiot?

You think if you gave a "copy" mobile phone or a CD to a poor farmer in Issan that he would immiedietly pay 600 baht for a bus ticket to Bkk and a return ticket so he can sell it to you for 100 baht? You think if you gave some "copy" Adidas shoes or hooded jackets to these people up here because soon it will be so cold that more people will be dying of hypothermia again that they would run down to Bkk to sell them?

Its not just CD's they are burning you know. These cloths and shoes would be great for the poor farmers here and their children. But don't think about then mate, you just keep eating the rice they grow and all the fruit and vegetables and be happy they arer freezing while the government is burning good clothes.

However thanks for "flaming" me anyways

Believe it or not, some people actually have a totally legal laptop. (In my case, a Macbook) and most software you need is free anyway. So no reason to buy illegal copies.

But if you want to do something for the needy ones in the North (or South), let me know and I will give you some addresses where you can donate money or stuff you don't need anymore.

What I don't like is when the Police tried to make an "example" of a poor little guy who tries to sell a single CD he found in the garbage and fines him with THB 200.000. That's outrageous!

[beppi]

I wonder why the police doesn't just sell the confiscated goods (in Chatuchak or elsewhere) to line their own pockets instead of destroying them?

Well, maybe they do that already with the bulk (and destroy only a few every now and then as a show) - they are sure craftier in this respect than me ...

[lucky2103]

I wonder why the police doesn't just sell the confiscated goods (in Chatuchak or elsewhere) to line their own pockets instead of destroying them?

Well, maybe they do that already with the bulk (and destroy only a few every now and then as a show) - they are sure craftier in this respect than me ...

Believe me, they do do.

[TheBarbarian]

I always wonder why they love to show of donated old cd's and watches that are destroyed. The lobby of the IFPI and Software alliances as well other luxury goods makers seem to be paying off somewhat. But what about the real counterfeiters that damage the health of society. I seldom see news items in which the authorities have raided a baby milk factory, a medicine factory or another factory copying essential items. It could be of course that Thai crime fighters think that these things happen only in China. Well most Chinese businessmen are nowadays in the Thai government so the counterfeiters are having a boon.

[Jatayu]

LOL, great comment tomyummer.

Don't mock! The great white defender of the poor has shown up on this thread to set things right! -cue music- -triumphantly, of course-

Why not give it all to the poor in the North?

Yes, great idea. I'd like to see the elephants wearing full body cd-armor on the streets, not just the 3-4 dangling reflector cd's.

[tso310]

So thats all the remaining copies of Windows 95, 98 and ME gone.

[ryladie99]

"The ceremony was witnessed by celebrities, singers, movie stars and owners of the violated brands."

Wow great. Was Bill Gates there?

Bill Gate and Malinda Gate are traveling to Africa and around US. They both have a Gate foundation helping the poor in the developing countries. Right now they are putting their 30 billion dollars to improve education in America...it would be fun to see him and his wife. They would enjoy being in Thailand and eating Thai food...

[JetsetBkk]

So thats all the remaining copies of Windows 95, 98 and ME gone.

No problem - plenty of Win7 Ultimate cracks around.

So I've heard.

My PC is legitimate XP, by the way.

[moskito]

will they burn the Chinese spys also which are running around the world copying and doing corporate espionage? Just learned today the number is around 800,000 economy spies working for China worldwide, stealing patents.

Why not just close the factories where they produce these counterfeit goods`? A lot of them are in Thailand too.

[dominique355]

will they burn the Chinese spys also which are running around the world copying and doing corporate espionage? Just learned today the number is around 800,000 economy spies working for China worldwide, stealing patents.

Why not just close the factories where they produce these counterfeit goods`? A lot of them are in Thailand too.

How can you "steal" a patent? A patent is always published on some sort of Official Gazette of the national Patent Office. Just order a copy there and read it. No need to "steal".

One of the main deals in the patent system is that the inventor agrees to disclose (publish) his invention in return to an exclusive right to commercially use it for a limited period of time (usually 20 years).

[sunanta]

Oh good, its National Crush Pirated Goods Day again. How many pirated goods do you think are on sale in Pantip at this very moment?

no mention of ALL the cash that was taken for violations....a few new harleys riding the roads these days

I think more than 80%-90% off software on offer in Pantip are copies

It´ the same once or twice every year - thats just a showoff event for the press

loads off officials earn to much in the bussiness to realy want to do something about it

Just my 2 cents

SIAMPEDIA

[dighambara]

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

90 tons of pirated goods, worth about Bt2 bn destroyed

Thai authorities used bulldozers to destroy more than 600,000 pirated goods, worth about Bt2.2 billion, in a ceremony at the Crime Suppression Division headquarters on Wednesday.

The ceremony was presided over by Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Polabutr.

Alongkorn said the bulldozers destroyed a total of 613,374 products including game machines, mobile phones, watches, shoes, CDs and DVDs. The products weighed about 90 tons and were worth Bt2.265 billion.

This is the third ceremony held to destroying pirated goods so far this year, the minister said.

The ceremony was witnessed by celebrities, singers, movie stars and owners of the violated brands.

The destruction of the pirated products is aimed at preventing the pirated goods from being resold on the market, Alongkorn said, adding that the ceremony showed the transparency of the procedure.

The destruction is in line with the World Trade Organisation's Trade Related Intellectual Properties Agreement, to which Thailand and 152 other countries are signatories.

Siam City Cement Public Company will use the Geocycle system of the incinerator at its Saraburi factory to deal with the destroyed products so that the material can be reused.

-- The Nation 2010-09-15

As an average buyer, I have difficulty determining what is legal (tax stamp) and what is illegal (pirated)...

In Robinson's, I have bought DVDs without stamp and in the market stall I have bought them with a stamp. So, does the stamp mean anything..?? Items I suspect are pirated have perfect (mint) covers and look like the product in the mall...

So, yes, like Police raids, where most sellers are warned beforehand, or the shops (& Bars) owned by the Police - it is all a big show...LOL