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

[MaxYakov]

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?

They'd go after the suppliers, maybe. I'm having difficulty visualizing starving, poor African children using computers, though. Maybe picking up bargain foodstuffs on eBay or OverStock?

[softgeorge]

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.

Don't you mean software HUB?

[MaxYakov]

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.

Not a problem for one US Government agency I worked for - they fired individuals that did that. In fact, they would fire an employee that installed even non-pirated software that was not authorized - after only a single warning.

[MaxYakov]

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.

Don't you mean software HUB?

Don't y'all mean pirated software manufacturing and distribution HUB?

[MaxYakov]

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".

Actually this scenario was actually a gain for the software industry, because they saved the cost of having to package and distribute the software and got additional exposure (advertising) of their product as well. There would also be a great savings in support, as well.

The exposure would create more demand for the pirated software resulting in an even greater savings in packaging and distribution for the software industry!

[cup-O-coffee]

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.

Am I the only one that caught this?

What kind of software, exactly, are the Thai developers "developing" that non-Thai speakers, readers and writers are buying?

The article describes development; NOT copyright purchase.

So, again, what are the Thai developers developing that I would care to use?

Perhaps we are describing Thai language and script programs?

Now. If we are describing the kind of development that is not to create from anything at all other than Thai inspiration, and instead to evolve an existing software, then I submit the question, "Are Thai developers purchasing the foreign software, and using the code in that software to understand how to create their software, or are they taking that code and copying and pasting into notepad, and then claim it as their own genuine and original Thai developed software?"

Given experience with similar matters of this kind, I would be suspect of the developers genuine ability to produce legitimate software that compels consumers to purchase it and pass over tried and trued software, or even pirated software that has the original code in it.

Is there really such a thing as original and genuinely developed Thai software?

Anyone?

Edited October 8, 2011 by cup-O-coffee

[MaxYakov]

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.

Am I the only one that caught this?

What kind of software, exactly, are the Thai developers "developing" that non-Thai speakers, readers and writers are buying?

The article describes development; NOT copyright purchase.

So, again, what are the Thai developers developing that I would care to use?

Perhaps we are describing Thai language and script programs?

Now. If we are describing the kind of development that is not to create from anything at all other than Thai inspiration, and instead to evolve an existing software, then I submit the question, "Are Thai developers purchasing the foreign software, and using the code in that software to understand how to create their software, or are they taking that code and copying and pasting into notepad, and then claim it as their own genuine and original Thai developed software?"

Given experience with similar matters of this kind, I would be suspect of the developers genuine ability to produce legitimate software that compels consumers to purchase it and pass over tried and trued software, or even pirated software that has the original code in it.

Is there really such a thing as original and genuinely developed Thai software?

Anyone?

Good question. A Google of 'software development thailand' looks encouraging.

This Software Engineering and Software. Development in Thailand. Dr. Kanchit Malaivongs. Fellow of the Royal Institute of. Thailand is rather dated and simplistic, but provides an interesting overview from a decade previous.

[MaiChai]

Most of this software is American and the profits go there, not to Thailand. I can see why Thais have little regard for paying for it when its expensive and the profits go abroad.

Anyway, anyone who doesn't want to pay too much for software should run Linux. Its free and can do everything (and more) that Windows can. Not to mention you don't have to crack it, find software keys, or waste loads of time hunting around the internet for software and drivers.

I actually like buying laptops/pc's in Thailand WITHOUT Windows. I don't see why I should have to buy MS Windows, and then throw it away.

The only thing that works well from Microsoft is Active Directory, but then whats wrong with ldap? At least you don't have all those horrendous kerberos timing issues.

Edited October 8, 2011 by MaiChai

[Rosco911]

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.

Agree nearly all new PC's have copied software installed. 3 years ago I purchased 9 new computers for our office we later found out due a visit from the Police and software experts that windows operating system MS office 2007 and AutoCad were not legal. The total cost for using copied software and then having to purchase licenses plus the fine amounted to 1.7 million THB.

Be very careful if still using copied software on business machines, we may be in Thailand but the laws are imposed and compensation must be paid. Unfortunately for us the usual backhander did not work and the company that we purchased the Pc's from had vanished.

The amazing thing in all this is that the lawyers who investigated us just happen to be a licensed MS retailer who pay a reward of 500,000 THB to the person who inform them following a successful conviction.

[ignis]

Copied DVDs are ~75 baht.

75 baht with case.. 55 baht no case.. You were robbed, buy them without the case, buy the case in bulk... 25 x 4 baht each..

[hyperdimension]

Copied DVDs are ~75 baht.

75 baht with case.. 55 baht no case.. You were robbed, buy them without the case, buy the case in bulk... 25 x 4 baht each..

Don't support the profiteering pirates, who may be the same people who profit from other more serious crimes as well. There are plenty of High Definition movies (far better quality than DVDs which are now outdated) for free from the internet.

Edited October 10, 2011 by hyperdimension

[surayu]

Where did we put that list again? i am just curious to find out what happened exactly to each ones of those 41 individuals....

[TAWP]

Copied DVDs are ~75 baht.

75 baht with case.. 55 baht no case.. You were robbed, buy them without the case, buy the case in bulk... 25 x 4 baht each..

I was only correcting his number of 300 baht for pirated movies.

The price is most likely different per location. I have yet to by any pirated movies.

I download them. Since I cannot find a good source of real BluRay movies here.

[warfie]

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

too funny... especially if you know about the beginnings of Microsoft...

[govekidao]

Actually this scenario was actually a gain for the software industry, because they saved the cost of having to package and distribute the software and got additional exposure (advertising) of their product as well. There would also be a great savings in support, as well.

The exposure would create more demand for the pirated software resulting in an even greater savings in packaging and distribution for the software industry!

hmmm, not sure that logic works to be honest

The only way an interaction with pirated software could ever be seen as providing exposure or advertising is if the users decided to switch from bootleg to genuine with their subsequent purchases which simply never happens. Clearly for many people across the world the products are unaffordable, but for many others their sway towards the counterfeit is simply because they are miserly, and readily convinced their infringement is justified as a response to fantasied profit margins, or counter-balanced by booming sales somewhere else.. Both groups provide no value to developers, and are unlikely to ever emerge as customers as opposed to merely users.

Mass patronage of a program is of no benefit to the software industry at all if those patrons fail to remunerate the team that built the product in the first place..... That's true of all intellectual property, and here we reach the crux of the issue - the total disregard towards the concept of intellectual property the world over, especially amongst people and societies which are distant from the process of authoring that property in the first place.

As for the figures quoted in the original post, clearly flawed in how they're devised, but that shouldn't undermine the entitlement the software industry rightfully has to renumeration for its investment in ideas.

[dutchweller]

The amazing thing in all this is that the lawyers who investigated us just happen to be a licensed MS retailer who pay a reward of 500,000 THB to the person who inform them following a successful conviction.

Well I think I just decided what I will do for a job now.

Go get licensed as a MS retailer and spend all day grassing up all the places I know have Pirated software.

I could come up with 100's without even trying and I only need to get 4-5 a year to be living very comfortably.

I even recall seeing the LCD screens on the BTS one day on the blink and all of a sudden the MS piracy pop up came on screen.

[wana]

The amazing thing in all this is that the lawyers who investigated us just happen to be a licensed MS retailer who pay a reward of 500,000 THB to the person who inform them following a successful conviction.

Well I think I just decided what I will do for a job now.

Go get licensed as a MS retailer and spend all day grassing up all the places I know have Pirated software.

I could come up with 100's without even trying and I only need to get 4-5 a year to be living very comfortably.

I even recall seeing the LCD screens on the BTS one day on the blink and all of a sudden the MS piracy pop up came on screen.

i was in a 5 star hotel one morning in bangkok and i used one of their computers ...........surprise surprise

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