Revenue Lost In Software Piracy At Bt60 Billion/Year: Thailand

[webfact]

Revenue Lost in Software Piracy at Bt60 Billion/Year

The Software Industry Association president says software piracy is still very widespread in Thailand, costing Thai developers some 60 billion baht in lost revenue per year.

Software Industry Association President Somporn Maneeratanakul said intellectual property in the Thai software industry continues to be seriously violated.

Revenue lost through piracy is estimated at around 60 billion baht per year and is a major obstacle to the country's development.

Somporn noted that the government should educate the public, especially the youth, to support creativity and respect for intellectual property rights to promote Thai software developers.

He insisted that software piracy must be taken seriously for the country to grow.

Somporn added that the Intellectual Property Department has collaborated with Tilleke and Gibbins International, one of the largest multi-service law firms in Thailand.

The Software Industry Association is to hold a seminar titled 'Trade Opportunity of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs in Asia Pacific' to exchange opinions about the importance of intellectual property.

The seminar is aimed to enhance competition of Thai software entrepreneurs.

-- Tan Network 2011-10-06

[Chamezz]

If Thais had higher salaries, so that they could actually afford the software. Maybe the piracy wouldn't be so widespread.

[dominique355]

60 Billion Baht lost to Thai developers? I seriously doubt that.

Perhaps the total loss to software developers worldwide due to piracy in Thailand might reach THB 60 Billion, but even this number seems a bit high.

[OzMick]

Thai software entrepreneurs.................most seem to be involved in cracking the protection on others' software.

[Zpete]

Reckon it would be like pushing water uphill.

Pantip Plaza once our fave software shop.

Usually had orders when I visited,

Guess it is guys like us the biggest curse in that battle

[Cheops]

"costing Thai developers some 60 billion baht in lost revenue per year"

Really??? About 1.4 billion Euro ???

I can't remember ever seeing any software made by Thai software-developers.

[TAWP]

They are not losing revenue as revenue infers sale. And they are not losing sales as the people pirate pirate copies are in most cases not customers by a long-shot - often due to prices way outside their budgets.

Or see this: http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/03/23/1930238/limewire-being-sued-for-75-trillion

13 companies claiming damages at 75 trillion USD.

Edited October 6, 2011 by TAWP

[hyperdimension]

The over-inflated value is based on the flawed assumption that those who use pirated software would have paid for it if the software was not freely available.

Pirated software allows people who are in poverty access new technologies that they otherwise would not have been able to afford. Would Microsoft go after starving poor children in Africa who use pirated versions of their Windows operating system?

[BAYBOY]

Why ask the Government to help with pirated computer programmes?

Read last year somewhere that 70% of Thai government computers use copy programmes. I doubt if there are many users in Thailand with genuine programmes.

Typical Thailand moan and groan how the world rips them off, eg Jasmine rice, hand movements in Asian dancing, yet steal as much from other nations with out a blink!!

BAYBOY

[Soutpeel]

Would Microsoft go after starving poor children in Africa who use pirated versions of their Windows operating system?

Most likely....

[siampolee]

Friend of mine works for a large Thai company that sells genuine Microsoft products and said company offers educational courses in computer usage either at their premises or their clients premises .

The company also supplies schools by contracting teaching (?) staff to schools here in Thailand . However all the company computers run on copy editions which cannot be updated as he has found.

Wonderful way to do business when the selling company will not use the genuine products themselves.

Edited October 6, 2011 by siampolee

[IMA_FARANG]

If Thais had higher salaries, so that they could actually afford the software. Maybe the piracy wouldn't be so widespread.

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

Absolutely right.

The way these "losses" are determined by the software industry world-wide is pure Bull...err...Male Cow excretement.

They presume because Noi bought a black market movie on DVD for 500 Baht, they could sell have sold that same program for 3500 Baht, so they "lost" 3000 Baht on that non-existant sale.

The fact that Noi couldn't and wouldn't buy that DVD for 3500 Baht...because it wasn't worth the extra cost...is ignored.

It's all smoke and mirrors. They never had a chance of selling that overpriced DVD to a Thai audience anyhow... so actually they "lost" nothing.

Just "Male Cow Excretement".

[IMA_FARANG]

"costing Thai developers some 60 billion baht in lost revenue per year"

Really??? About 1.4 billion Euro ???

I can't remember ever seeing any software made by Thai software-developers.

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

There is some...but what they are really refering to is legally licensed software that they could have been selling as licensed local agents of foriegn software developers at a profit.

They refer to that as "Thai software" because it sounds better than "legally licensed copies of foriegn made software produced in Thailand for an hefty profit but with no added value".

Which is what it usually is.

[TAWP]

Copied DVDs are ~75 baht.

[h90]

60 Billion Baht lost to Thai developers? I seriously doubt that.

Perhaps the total loss to software developers worldwide due to piracy in Thailand might reach THB 60 Billion, but even this number seems a bit high.

usually this numbers are calculated like the people would have bought everything at the full price (not even at discount).

When the 15 year old without income has installed win7, office, adobe suite, autocad, solidworks, 20 gb music, 20 games, the complete world in garmin maps etc etc

Than he alone had caused a lost of 1.000.000 Baht, because surely he would have bought all at the full price if he couldn't have got the copies.

[whybother]

I worked for IBM in Thailand. They used pirated Microsoft software.

[TAWP]

I have worked for several foreign owned (tech) companies here and all had licenses for the OS etc - but one thing that has been a slight problem is employees that keep downloading pirate versions of different apps and installing them themselves.

[mca]

I worked for IBM in Thailand. They used pirated Microsoft software.

When I worked in hospitality our hotel had genuine MS stuff in the public areas/reception etc for the occasional inspection by the authorities and moody stuff in the back offices.

[nikster]

60 Billion Baht lost to Thai developers? I seriously doubt that.

Perhaps the total loss to software developers worldwide due to piracy in Thailand might reach THB 60 Billion, but even this number seems a bit high.

usually this numbers are calculated like the people would have bought everything at the full price (not even at discount).

This is a PRIME EXAMPLE of corporations taking over politics to further their own agenda, and to the detriment of the people. At first it's some lobbyists in Washington, serving the corporation's interest. But soon thereafter, politicians are bought; policies are bought; the USA suddenly becomes a world police that enforces the will of a corporate lobby. And other countries play along, or get sucked into it themselves.

OUT OF CONTROL corporate rule is what this is. Where are the normal people who benefit from this? Nowhere.

Just writing this because there currently is a counter movement forming, even though it's ignored by mainstream media - this is what #OccupyWallSt is all about - the END of corporations in politics.

[Cheops]

Copied DVDs are ~75 baht.

You are paying too much! Good quality DVD's can be bought for 60 baht

But I rather buy a legal copy, since the price in Thailand for a legal copy is quite low as well with a few hunderd baht.

Or I download DVD's from the net (since some movies I cannot find here). And before someone comments, yes, that is legal too! Just don't use any torrent, since that is illegal. But downloading movies without any sharing is still legal.

[Cheops]

I have worked for several foreign owned (tech) companies here and all had licenses for the OS etc - but one thing that has been a slight problem is employees that keep downloading pirate versions of different apps and installing them themselves.

I'm also working in a foreign owned tech company. Our company uses the Microsoft HUP program (Home User Program). With this program you can buy a legal copy of Office 2010 Professional Plus for 9 US$ (price is when you are in Thailand and differs a bit depending which country you live, but basicly it's a giveaway). This license will expire when someone leaves the company, although I'm not sure how Microsoft will be able to check that. Anyway, I think this is a good initiative.

[h90]

60 Billion Baht lost to Thai developers? I seriously doubt that.

Perhaps the total loss to software developers worldwide due to piracy in Thailand might reach THB 60 Billion, but even this number seems a bit high.

usually this numbers are calculated like the people would have bought everything at the full price (not even at discount).

This is a PRIME EXAMPLE of corporations taking over politics to further their own agenda, and to the detriment of the people. At first it's some lobbyists in Washington, serving the corporation's interest. But soon thereafter, politicians are bought; policies are bought; the USA suddenly becomes a world police that enforces the will of a corporate lobby. And other countries play along, or get sucked into it themselves.

OUT OF CONTROL corporate rule is what this is. Where are the normal people who benefit from this? Nowhere.

Just writing this because there currently is a counter movement forming, even though it's ignored by mainstream media - this is what #OccupyWallSt is all about - the END of corporations in politics.

There was one, but I can't recall which, lawsuit against a Torrent webpage which made damage of a good share of the worlds total turnover. The court rejected that numbers as ridiculous. I think it is not easy to make a revolution USA. Don't think it will happen.

[tragickingdom]

The statement is complete and utterly nonsense. It seems that the gentleman in question wants to keep his too high salary for a while longer. Software piracy is not a Thai problem at all. In a matter of fact it is beneficial to Thailand. To the street vendor, to the CD and DVD manufacturers and even to businesses. Thailand is making an awful lot of money. Not only would nobody have paid for the original in the first place with the going salaries, they could have avoided each and every baht paid for the software by simply downloading it from the internet. If you pirate software, do not pay for it! You either pay the rightful owner or you pay nobody in case you do not have the money. Just visit a torrent site if you need something. That is better for the state of mind of mister Somporn too!Better even, download it directly from a machine somewhere in the US. Than you make it easier for the US embassy to point fingers to their own and not to the Thai street vendors, after all embassy officials have better things to do.

[Gers1873]

60 Billion Baht lost to Thai developers? I seriously doubt that.

Perhaps the total loss to software developers worldwide due to piracy in Thailand might reach THB 60 Billion, but even this number seems a bit high.

It is actually true. Didn't you know that Thailand is the software development capital of the world.

[Xonax]

If Thais had higher salaries, so that they could actually afford the software. Maybe the piracy wouldn't be so widespread.

I agree that the original products are too prizy compared to a normal Thai salary.

I would like to be a good person and buy the original stuff, but actually lots of the new software, music and movies are not even available here in Thailand! Buying the original stuff legally from iTunes is not even possible, when you happens live in Thailand! A few years ago I bought a new computer, but was not able to find a shop, where I could buy an original Windows OS.

[FOODLOVER]

Funny! I went to a large presentation that used a projector and all the sudden the windows genuine advantage warning pops up. This is a billion dollar company at the new airport So much for the poor needing to pirate it. Oh this was a Thai company.

[djlest]

HOW CAN IT BE REVENUE LOST?

If people want to buy original software they do it because they can afford to - belive its the right things to do, and want to.

If people buy a copy - Its because they cant afford the original - dont care about original software - dont feel they want to.

It cannot be lost revenue - Just because one person buys a pirated version doesnt mean if they didnt buy pirated they would buy an original.

People buy what they can afford!!!

If pirated software is removed - They will look for something else within their price range or an alternative...

If software companies want to stop piracy - REDUCE THE PRICES OF YOUR WAREz!!

[MaxYakov]

Funny! I went to a large presentation that used a projector and all the sudden the windows genuine advantage warning pops up. This is a billion dollar company at the new airport So much for the poor needing to pirate it. Oh this was a Thai company.

Deducing the general situation from a single, observed instance? Anyway, it sounds like a chance to collect a whistle-blower reward to me (if that's possible in Thailand, of course).

[wintermute]

What is this mystery Thai software that is worth billions and billions of baht?

[MaxYakov]

If Thais had higher salaries, so that they could actually afford the software. Maybe the piracy wouldn't be so widespread.

Or maybe with the higher salaries they'd buy even more pirated software?