US Expected To Put Thailand On Priority Watch List For Another Year

[webfact]

US expected to put Thailand on Priority Watch List for another year

BANGKOK, April 24 –The head of Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property said the United States is likely to announce by the end of this month that Thailand, among other countries, will remain on its Priority Watch List (PWL) for another year.

Director-General Patchima Thanasanti said although Thailand has continously campaigned and acted against the infringement of intellectual property, the United States views that the problem has not declined for the past five years and that Thailand has no serious law to protect intellectual property.

Her department is trying to legalise the copyrights and trademarks law as soon as possible, while the government is trying to push such law into enforcement.

Ms Patchima said the law on intellectual property should be enforced by 2014, particularly violations of software and movie piracy. Once the law is put in place, the United States might delist Thailand from PWL to the less-stringent Watch List (WL) category instead.

Meanwhile, the agency head said Deputy Commerce Minister Poom Sarapol had assigned her department to revise measures and take serious action against department stores allowing retailers to sell pirated items on their premises.

The Intellectual Property Department is organising an 'IP Fair 2012' May 4-6 at Bangkok's Queen Sirikit National Convention Center to intensify the fight against the intellectual piracy issue, and to encourage and provide opportunities to inventors and intellectual property rights owners to meet and negotiate business with industrial entrepreneurs for further commercial gain from their goods and ideas. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-04-24

[bigbamboo]

The government has more pressing issues than clamping down on illegal knock-offs of any kind not to mention the negative effect it would have on tourism!

Edited April 24, 2012 by bigbamboo

[Payboy]

Thailand has continously campaigned and acted against the infringement of intellectual property

[phl]

The government has more pressing issues than clamping down on illegal knock-offs of any kind not to mention the negative effect it would have on tourism!

more pressing issues like what? bringing mr t back or printing new textbooks since the tablet flop, flopped

[bendejo]

Somewhat redundant running concurrently against the lawless society thread.

Edited April 24, 2012 by bendejo

[MAJIC]

Illegal copies,and infringement of Intelectual property rights,will never be stamped out,until it ceases to be part of the Thai economy.

[KireB]

Quote:" Meanwhile, the agency head said Deputy Commerce Minister Poom Sarapol had assigned her department to revise measures and take serious action against department stores allowing retailers to sell pirated items on their premises."

Why do I find this so hard to believe? Why is she blatantly lying? Seems that living in Thailand is like living in the Matrix, everyone his own reality!

Dear Commerce Minister, for once get out of your Merc, take a stroll anywhere in Bangkok and understand how ridiculous you sound!

[osiboy]

Illegal copies,and infringement of Intelectual property rights,will never be stamped out,until it ceases to be part of the Thai economy.

and so it goes on...and on........and on.............

[mca]

Director-General Patchima Thanasanti later informed the waiting press that he had prepared a Powerpoint presentation showing statistics that proved that Thailand was improving in the battle against intellectual copyright but unforunately the dodgy copy of Windows XP that he purchased from Tuk Com in Khon Kaen for 100 baht a few years back had crashed and he'd lost the lot.

[h90]

You can't blame this government.

I really don't like that government but to be fair, for sure they have nothing to do with anything intellectual.

[ramrod711]

Thailand has no serious law.........can't argue with that.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Director-General Patchima Thanasanti later informed the waiting press that he had prepared a Powerpoint presentation showing statistics that proved that Thailand was improving in the battle against intellectual copyright but unforunately the dodgy copy of Windows XP that he purchased from Tuk Com in Khon Kaen for 100 baht a few years back had crashed and he'd lost the lot.

The above gets my vote for Post of the Day!!!

What do all those guys and few women who are appointed/elected to Parliament do all day anyway, besides plot to bring Big Brother home and check nudie photos on their mobiles...

It seems they've been TALKING about passing some kind of IP law for years... and talking... and talking...

I guess, since they can't manage to pass any law, they've decided to have a nice fair at the QS Center instead.

BTW, I'd say H90's post above deserves runner up for Post of the Day:

Posted Today, 17:50

You can't blame this government.

I really don't like that government but to be fair, for sure they have nothing to do with anything intellectual.

Edited April 24, 2012 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[transam]

The government has more pressing issues than clamping down on illegal knock-offs of any kind not to mention the negative effect it would have on tourism!

more pressing issues like what? bringing mr t back or printing new textbooks since the tablet flop, flopped

Everything flops here. Sadly.

[CHANGOVER]

The government has more pressing issues than clamping down on illegal knock-offs of any kind not to mention the negative effect it would have on tourism!

more pressing issues like what? bringing mr t back or printing new textbooks since the tablet flop, flopped

Everything flops here. Sadly.

There are illegally copied tablets that can help you.

[phl]

The government has more pressing issues than clamping down on illegal knock-offs of any kind not to mention the negative effect it would have on tourism!

more pressing issues like what? bringing mr t back or printing new textbooks since the tablet flop, flopped

Everything flops here. Sadly.

There are illegally copied tablets that can help you.

lol, they can re-brand it to i-flops

[tukkytuktuk]

What is the Phue Thai party doing about this piracy issue? Who's going to come to miracle Thailand when they know its shopping malls are full of fake designer goods? They're going to go to Singapore instead. It's about time that PM Yingluck clamped on this sort of thing. Piracy supports child labour in other poorer nations.

[Johpa]

Illegal copies,and infringement of Intelectual property rights,will never be stamped out,until it ceases to be part of the Thai economy.

It will not be eliminated until pricing reflects the purchasing power of a median income Thai and not the purchasing power of a median income American.

[phl]

What is the Phue Thai party doing about this piracy issue? Who's going to come to miracle Thailand when they know its shopping malls are full of fake designer goods? They're going to go to Singapore instead. It's about time that PM Yingluck clamped on this sort of thing. Piracy supports child labour in other poorer nations.

i could be really off, but i am pretty sure that most fakes are made, sold, and imported from china,

most shoppers who are after these goods are well aware and do not travel to Thailand to seek out fakes.

the only fakes they make in thailand are the 100baht tshirts with a cheap print and can hardly be called fakes, when even the print has runs in it.

[tukkytuktuk]

The sad fact is that alot of fake, pirated goods come from Thailand and that this government is not doing it's best to eradicate this crime on society. The prime minister herself is a mother of a 8 or 9 year old boy, then here this sad story of child labour in your country prime minister. You will be shocked, angry, then feel guilty, well at least a little while for you. Heres the real miracle Thailand - http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEQQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.momlogic.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fbuying_fake_goods_is_child_abu.php&ei=VrOWT8PrOMOHrAeatLDUDQ&usg=AFQjCNH7Cv9XN8yBkTD8KfvAkLiUNxZ7ZA

[tukkytuktuk]

Here's a video link to go with my last post. Remember, some people have the power to stop this and stamp out this sort of thing. Instead these people concentrate on their own family issues first then think about real problems like child labour later on. How much later can you ignore this problem Mrs Prime Minister. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=33&ved=0CDQQtwIwAjge&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-AHPWOxEALQ&ei=zriWT8qfM8ThrAf3hsndDQ&usg=AFQjCNHpUeUqNDxtHFl7u5R-TgIzL83iQQ

[CHANGOVER]

Exactly so as long as they keep selling everything double Thai size at a Thai price we will buy.

ed/ CD's & DVD's can stay normal size obviously ;-)

Edited April 24, 2012 by CHANGOVER

[Pib]

Even if Thailand does implement a "serious" intellectual property/copyright law it probably won't be seriously enforced. Thailand has no shortage of laws; just selective/no serious enforcement. TiT

[CHANGOVER]

And in general the 'law makers/upholders ' are the law breakers.

[jerrysteve]

Counterfeiting Intellectual Property is a Profession. The U.S. and other governments can put Thailand, the Philippines etc on the watch list until hell freezes over but they will never be able to stop it coz there is far too much money in it.

[richard10365]

You need an ethical government to pass ethical laws.

[MAJIC]

Illegal copies,and infringement of Intelectual property rights,will never be stamped out,until it ceases to be part of the Thai economy.

It will not be eliminated until pricing reflects the purchasing power of a median income Thai and not the purchasing power of a median income American.

Well in my view the ultimate means of controlling copying,would be to make the price of software originals,much more affordable.

But the big boys act on the basis that a large percentage of users start off with illegal copies,and when their system crashes,they often go out and buy an original,which would be as bug free as the day it was made.

Manufacturers Greed creates,and encourages cheap copies,no wonder they get ripped off,it's payback time for the consumer to rip them off,and most consumers have no concience,about doing so.

Then the cycle continues,a new operating system is a must have,because the manufacturer has made the new operating system,or that Office Suite,not fully compatable,either backwards or forward. So it's get your wallet out time,once again. Let's not lose any sleep or shed any tears,over the likes of Microsoft,and the Big Boy Software Developers/Manufacturers.

So give the consumers a better deal,and stop their Rip Offs,and there will be more chance the customer will buy Originals,but its not going to happen,while charging exorbitant prices.

[noitom]

Preposterous comments. Preposterous perspective on reality. If the newspaper wanted to do a professional job, it would initiate an investigative journalism project on this whole subject rather than just reprinting frivolous and preposterous comments by Thai officials.. Get at the source and ferret out the Mr. Bigs and follow the money. A good place to start might be the major universities in Thailand and their blatant and illegal copying of textbooks and then reselling the copies to students for half the price of the originals.

A second place to start is the MBKs and other locations where there is a "factory" within striking distance of the retail outlet. Follow the runner, get at the operation of the factory, follow the money up to Mr. Big. A third place to start would be to realistically calculate the true black economy value of counterfeit movies, software, books, clothes etc.. in Thailand. Get real, get professional. The newspaper's investigative journalism should be like a stray dog with a piece of red raw meat in its mouth. Once some thorough investigation was documented, then start investigating the corruption of police and rule of law.

Start dragging these Mr. Bigs into the public limelight. Compel the government to take action. Reality, action, and relentless followup will motivate countries to see Thailand's true motives and sincerity. Until then everything relating to this subject is preposterous and the whole outside world knows it. Thais are delusional about this issue.

[jerrysteve]

The Counterfeiters suffer from the same disease that Corporations, and individuals suffer from....greed and profit...and I personally see nothing wrong with that.

The average DVD movie or Music CD for example sells for around 12 U.S. Bucks Retail or roughly 300 Baht or more. I have no argument with buying something for 100 Baht that cost 12 Bucks U.S. There is not a person in the world that does not like to get the ou most Bang on their hard earned money they can get, including retailers. Piracy is a way of life in Thailand and other non western cultures.e Trying to change that would be like trying to change the orbit of the moon around the earth to go the opposite direction or the sunrising from the east to rise from the west.

The more you save the more spendable money you have in your pocket for other things...I see nothing wrong with that.

There doesn't seem to be much transparency in the U.S. so why point fingers.

[jerrysteve]

There Rule of Law and Prosecutions on people that make pirated soffware, doesn't mean too much in Thailand. History makes the rules there, as it does and has everywhere in the world since human existance began including unresolved issues in the U.S. as well.

The U.S. is beating a dead horse or pissing in the wind.

If the U.S. want to put Thailand on a Watch List that should be issues concerning age discrimination of women in the Job sector, Human Rights issues, the criminal prosecution of Thai men who like to make babies but don't want to financially support them.

The old saying holds true...When You Point A Finger @ Others, You Have 3 Fingers Looking Straight Back At Your Very Ownself.

Jing Jing

[Unkomoncents]

Law enforcement is one of the developing world's most glaring problems. Unfortunately, there is next to no local will to change things in Thailand. An acquiescing culture acquiesces.