Blatent And Continuous Usage Rights Violations In Major Thai Media?

[ScubaBuddha]

On several occasions when the gf is watching the Thai national news I've noticed they will use footage directly from Fox news or other networks and make a poor attempt at covering Fox's graphics with there own. I've also noticed Thai soaps using musical scores from major motion pictures. It the moment the gf is watching Prom Pung on Channel 7 and they are using the music from Forrest Gump. In the past I have heard them using the Titanic musical score. I have a feeling neither Selvestri or Horner saw a single satang for the use of their music. Seems awfully hypocritical to allow that when the police are putting on these dog and pony show raids of tourist area DVD shops at the behest of RAC, RIAA and MPAA.

[jdinasia]

While you are probably correct .... you quite simply might not be.

[kdc1899]

There used to be a channel on one of Pattaya's cable services that would show bootleg dvds.

It was very funny when the dvd or player had a problem. Sometimes the problem would cycle all day because no one monitored the 6 dvd player machine.

[Pontare]

There's a good chance you're wrong. Norwegian TV show clips from foreign news stations, I don't automatically assume they are stealing the material. Norwegian TV-shows use music that is not an original piece written for the show, I don't automatically assume they are stealing the music.

Hey, I even read an Associated Press piece in Bangkok post the other day, you think they are stealing as well?

To sum up, don't just assume nothing is in order just because you are in Thailand.

[Nisa]

I am not even sure what the fair use rules are when it comes to showing news clips from other stations especially if it is a feed not available in an area. But as another posted mentioned in Norway ... I have also seen this done in the US.

Keep in mind that large corporations, such as Fox, aggressively protect their products through legal means. While they may not go after street vendors selling bootleg DVDs they will go after any large company stealing their product because they know a company, even a Thai broadcasting company, has deeper pockets.

On the other hand ... I notice that a number of the music video channels show videos with the original broadcasting logo covered. One has to wonder why if they are paying royalties (or whatever else is involved legally) that they cannot get clean copies of these videos from the distributer ... especially given the fact that they serve as advertisements to buy the CD.

[kennalder]

There's a good chance you're wrong. Norwegian TV show clips from foreign news stations, I don't automatically assume they are stealing the material. Norwegian TV-shows use music that is not an original piece written for the show, I don't automatically assume they are stealing the music.

Hey, I even read an Associated Press piece in Bangkok post the other day, you think they are stealing as well?

To sum up, don't just assume nothing is in order just because you are in Thailand.

But the odds go up!

[Prichard]

I saw some Thai morning news shows having their newscasters opened Thai newspapers in front of them and just plain reading the contents to the TV audience! I can understand that a newscaster may offer his comment according to what he has read (off line) from a newspaper. But to open a newspaper in front of him and read its content to the audience in presenting the news is what caught my attention. Furthermore, I feel that most of the follow-up analyses of the news he/she just read were nothing more than just repeating of the news information in his/her own words - nothing extra ! I thought a newspaper is for your personal use and enjoyment. They (the TV stations presenting the news) must have some kind of agreements (to use) with those newspaper companies or there must not be any law covering/protecting this type of situation?

[soundman]

Nothing specifically to do with Bkk, I'm moving this topic to the General forum.

Moved.

[Kilgore Trout]

My Thai wife struggled to comprehend why I was laughing when a Thai soap opera was playing the Israeli national anthem (Ha Tikva) for it's background music

[JurgenG]

Seriously ? Have you contacted homeland security ?

I knew it. Since the death of Obama, they were this sense of security.

How can America survives without paranoia ?

[toybits]

To some people OBAMA and OSAMA are like SAME SAME..

Seriously ? Have you contacted homeland security ?

I knew it. Since the death of Obama, they were this sense of security.

How can America survives without paranoia ?

[Kilgore Trout]

Seriously ? Have you contacted homeland security ?

I knew it. Since the death of Obama, they were this sense of security.

How can America survives without paranoia ?

Jurgen, you have confounded me yet again....

[ScubaBuddha]

There used to be a channel on one of Pattaya's cable services that would show bootleg dvds.

It was very funny when the dvd or player had a problem. Sometimes the problem would cycle all day because no one monitored the 6 dvd player machine.

Yeah our local cable company has a channel devoted to playing bootleg DVD's. Last year in Phuket Town, one of the operators popped in a hard core porn flick to watch one Saturday afternoon which was inadvertently broadcast to all subscribers. The company made a statement apologizing for a "technical problem."

Seriously ? Have you contacted homeland security ?

I knew it. Since the death of Obama, they were this sense of security.

How can America survives without paranoia ?

Try reading the post and not just the header. My point was clearly about hypocrisy, not a rights issue. I torrent like everyone else.

Also, Obama is not dead, and I am not even sure what "..they were this sense of security" means.

[zzaa09]

All which should lead us to really question: is news or information qualified to acquire "rights"? And who chooses what we can or can't absorb.

Mind, we are be taken for suckers as we accept the ideals of complete corporate/government that stimulation can be packaged and marketed. The winners, they will be.

[mightyharriss]

One of the last soaps was using tje music score from "The Dark Knight" the wife wven commented on it.

[Pontare]

Quoting the newspapers in a tv-show surely isn't copyright violations.

[Pontare]

All which should lead us to really question: is news or information qualified to acquire "rights"? And who chooses what we can or can't absorb.

Mind, we are be taken for suckers as we accept the ideals of complete corporate/government that stimulation can be packaged and marketed. The winners, they will be.

So you think downloading a film for free is alright as well? If so, please give us your surely superb articulated reasoning to why.

[Kilgore Trout]

All which should lead us to really question: is news or information qualified to acquire "rights"? And who chooses what we can or can't absorb.

Mind, we are be taken for suckers as we accept the ideals of complete corporate/government that stimulation can be packaged and marketed. The winners, they will be.

So you think downloading a film for free is alright as well? If so, please give us your surely superb articulated reasoning to why.

I don't condone any illegal activity

However, since you asked you must look at the motive; is using the material for the purpose of personal use or to make a profit?

[Beetlejuice]

Glad someone has brought up this topic.

Quite often when my girlfriend and kids are watching these Thai soap operas I have recognised the backing music as being that from American movies and even British TV series. The same goes for many of the pathetic sound effects used.

Some examples of the backing music I have heard on these shows: Signs, Das Boot, Thunderbirds, Jurassic Park, Cast Away and more. I say to my family, I cannot understand how they do not get sued for copyright infringements?

When I have asked the GF what the programme is about and she tells me, the plot has sounded all very familiar to me. For a long time I have suspected that the scripts and storylines have been taken from American, British, European movies and shows, then translated into Thai. The character names are changed and the locations are different, but the raw script from wherever it was taken is basically the same.

What a great way to be able to make a TV programme on the cheap, hire amateur actors, most being 2 or 3 show wonders, use backing music and sound effects from other movies and shows and possibly the stories and scripts from other shows. It is extremely easy to acquire scripts; most are available for downloading free from the Internet.

I have warned my GF that watching these shows will make her even more stupid than I think she already is and that these shows should carry a Government health warning; WARNING LONG TERM VIEWING OF THESE SHOWS MAY SERIOUS DAMAGE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.

Edited May 17, 2011 by Beetlejuice

[PattayaParent]

To some people OBAMA and OSAMA are like SAME SAME..

Seriously ? Have you contacted homeland security ?

I knew it. Since the death of Obama, they were this sense of security.

How can America survives without paranoia ?

I always get them confused.

[wintermute]

What a great way to be able to make a TV programme on the cheap, hire amateur actors, most being 2 or 3 show wonders, use backing music and sound effects from other movies and shows and possibly the stories and scripts from other shows. It is extremely easy to acquire scripts; most are available for downloading free from the Internet.

A lot of the "actors" aren't even real actors.. they're just models, part time singers, mistresses, or rich sons/daughters to powerful people involved with the media here. They also keep using the same few faces in the same roles over and over again in every series. They do all their filming on ultra cheap non studio quality HD cameras which are the slightly top of the line consumer models. If you notice in the credits they usually have a ton of commercial sponsors including everything from chang to banks to private colleges.

These shows are pure trash that are probably right up there with amateur youtube productions but they make money somehow.

Edited May 17, 2011 by wintermute

[Nisa]

To some people OBAMA and OSAMA are like SAME SAME..

Seriously ? Have you contacted homeland security ?

I knew it. Since the death of Obama, they were this sense of security.

How can America survives without paranoia ?

I always get them confused.

I am currently in the US and am a supporter of Obama (not Osama) and when they announced Osama was dead on TV I wrote a couple instant messages to people outside the US telling them the military had killed Obama. Took a few minutes of very shocked responses to realize what I had done.

[Kilgore Trout]

Glad someone has brought up this topic.

Quite often when my girlfriend and kids are watching these Thai soap operas I have recognised the backing music as being that from American movies and even British TV series. The same goes for many of the pathetic sound effects used.

Some examples of the backing music I have heard on these shows: Signs, Das Boot, Thunderbirds, Jurassic Park, Cast Away and more. I say to my family, I cannot understand how they do not get sued for copyright infringements?

When I have asked the GF what the programme is about and she tells me, the plot has sounded all very familiar to me. For a long time I have suspected that the scripts and storylines have been taken from American, British, European movies and shows, then translated into Thai. The character names are changed and the locations are different, but the raw script from wherever it was taken is basically the same.

What a great way to be able to make a TV programme on the cheap, hire amateur actors, most being 2 or 3 show wonders, use backing music and sound effects from other movies and shows and possibly the stories and scripts from other shows. It is extremely easy to acquire scripts; most are available for downloading free from the Internet.

I have warned my GF that watching these shows will make her even more stupid than I think she already is and that these shows should carry a Government health warning; WARNING LONG TERM VIEWING OF THESE SHOWS MAY SERIOUS DAMAGE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.

The one that got me was when Ad Carabao (spelling?) blatantly took Bob Marley songs and put his own lyrics to them, as far as I know giving no credit to the original writer.

[wintermute]

The one that got me was when Ad Carabao (spelling?) blatantly took Bob Marley songs and put his own lyrics to them, as far as I know giving no credit to the original writer.

There's a famous isaan singer (not ad carabao) that rips off Santana too.

[KeyserSoze01]

Seriously ? Have you contacted homeland security ?

I knew it. Since the death of Obama, they were this sense of security.

How can America survives without paranoia ?

<deleted> does licensing rights for media have to do with the US, Obama or homeland security?

[manarak]

To OP:

1) who cares?

2) there is a good reason why Thai media aren't hassled over copyright infringement. western powers benefit from Thai media showing western content because it increases western cultural influence (i.e. Hollywood/USA).

If the media were made to pay, western content would totally disappear and be replaced by even more Thai soap operas.

Edited May 19, 2011 by manarak

[thaihome]

Curious how the OP knows that Fox or CNN have not licensed their output to the Thai TV stations that show it? Same with the musical scores, they are not hard to get nor are they expensive.

Why does the OP assume they are being used illegally?

TH

[thaihome]

Curious how the OP knows that Fox or CNN have not licensed their output to the Thai TV stations that show it? Same with the musical scores, they are not hard to get nor are they expensive.

Why does the OP assume they are being used illegally?

TH

[IMA_FARANG]

I saw some Thai morning news shows having their newscasters opened Thai newspapers in front of them and just plain reading the contents to the TV audience! I can understand that a newscaster may offer his comment according to what he has read (off line) from a newspaper. But to open a newspaper in front of him and read its content to the audience in presenting the news is what caught my attention. Furthermore, I feel that most of the follow-up analyses of the news he/she just read were nothing more than just repeating of the news information in his/her own words - nothing extra ! I thought a newspaper is for your personal use and enjoyment. They (the TV stations presenting the news) must have some kind of agreements (to use) with those newspaper companies or there must not be any law covering/protecting this type of situation?

----------------------

When I worked in Greece they had exactly the same type of program on Greek televison every morning. Not sure about the legality, because the reader would read from a copy of that day's newspaper they went outside and actually bought from the newstand. Whether showing that on the televison is legal or not I really don't know, but they would often show the newspaper on air and point out the headlines.

It was made for those who either couldn't read Greek or had some visual problem (i.e. poor eyesight due to age) and for that reason couldn't read the newsprint themselves.

[ScubaBuddha]

Curious how the OP knows that Fox or CNN have not licensed their output to the Thai TV stations that show it? Same with the musical scores, they are not hard to get nor are they expensive.

Why does the OP assume they are being used illegally?

TH

A reasonable assumption.

But if you look again, I did put a "?" at the end of the topic header.

.

Edited May 24, 2011 by ScubaBuddha