1 Mil Pieces Of Pirated Products Worth Over 1.8 Billion Baht Officially Destroyed

[webfact]

Over 1 mil pieces of pirated products officially destroyed

BANGKOK, 10 September 2012 (NNT) – The Commerce Ministry has recently destroyed over 1 million pieces of pirated products, worth over 1.8 billion baht.

Deputy Minister of Commerce Poom Sarapol presided over the destruction ceremony for pirated goods with cases having been finalized in court.

Mr. Poom said that the ceremony is a cooperation between the government sector and the companies whose patents have been infringed.

Approximately 1.1 million pieces of pirated products were destroyed in the event. The products had a combined value of over 1.8 billion baht.

The goods destroyed include 450,000 items seized by the Royal Thai Police, 600,000 items by the Customs Department, and 71,000 items by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). They weighed altogether about 90 tons.

The pirated products comprised clothes, bags, watches, shoes, auto-parts, tablets, laptops, video-cameras, cosmetic products, CDs and DVDs.

-- NNT 2012-09-10

[Sayonarax]

You crushed computers? Mean while back up north.

[lubbkis]

I see there is a copyright notice on that cartoon. Was permission obtained?

[ezzra]

Yeah right, "destroyed" probably a small amount was laid there for the ceremony show and the rest

found it self back on the market....

[belg]

laptops and cameras, why not give them to schools for free ???

ah yeah, "destroy" them, do they mean, spread amongst the policemen's families ?

no pictures of this "event" ?

1 million pieces worth 1.8 billion ?

last time i checked an illegal cd is sold 100 baht, but only worth 10

i guess this is just news to please those companies who think their profits were infringed...

[Estrada]

A little birdy on the inside told me years ago that this annual photoshoot whereby a road roller runs over fake DVDs, software, and watches was staged for the visit of Microsoft representatives and other foreign companies. The contraband consists of old written off stock, reject DVDs, out of date software, watches and other faulty contraband goods. Looks good and fools the foreigners. Meanwhile, in the depths of most shopping malls in Thailand, business as usual.

[8OA8]

I often wonder where the valuations come from, is it 1.8 billion baht divided across 1 million items.

1 x fake LV bag cost US $3.50 to manufacture: retail value B1,800

1x genuine LV bag costs $9.60 to manufacture: retail value B18,000

Or is 1 fake Ferrari going to be shown at full market value

[Eastman]

I wonder if they know about Pantip Plaza

[gearsau]

Ahhhh..Amazing Thailand..... I do miss it :-)

[candid]

I wonder if they know about Pantip Plaza

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Katipo]

"officially destroyed" = repackaged, redistributed, resold.

[peterdk]

Wonder if they calculated about all this extra garbage they are now producing.

Did they check for mercury and/or other hazardous materials or did you just tourch it and forgot about mother nature ?

[dcutman]

"HUB" of Dog and Pony Show

What a joke.

[BookMan]

I see there is a copyright notice on that cartoon. Was permission obtained?

[MaxLee]

No worries because there will always be new illegal products shipping on the shelf in all night market areas somewhere.

[BookMan]

They were probably just destroying the 'inferior' Chinese copies. Keeping the competition away.

[LennyW]

A little birdy on the inside told me years ago that this annual photoshoot whereby a road roller runs over fake DVDs, software, and watches was staged for the visit of Microsoft representatives and other foreign companies. The contraband consists of old written off stock, reject DVDs, out of date software, watches and other faulty contraband goods. Looks good and fools the foreigners. Meanwhile, in the depths of most shopping malls in Thailand, business as usual.

Sounds perfectly plausible to me !!

[canuckamuck]

So the event was a fake?

They had fake fakes?

Clever.

[jimbeam1]

I wonder if they know about Pantip Plaza

They should go to Aranuphratet. There is about 5 Kilometers Square of market, they could put to the torch.

jb1

[Satcommlee]

They couldn't make a pyre big enough burn all the goods at once, so Minstry of Commerce officials loaded up their cars to destroy the goods at home.

[Curt1591]

I wonder if they know about Pantip Plaza

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They put on their show, periodically, at Pantip. It's usually well announced to the big players.

You may notice that many of the Pantip software shops only display the wrappers. Nothing to confiscate. You usually have to order the CD/DVD and wait for it to materialize.

[TackyToo]

A little birdy on the inside told me years ago that this annual photoshoot whereby a road roller runs over fake DVDs, software, and watches was staged for the visit of Microsoft representatives and other foreign companies. The contraband consists of old written off stock, reject DVDs, out of date software, watches and other faulty contraband goods. Looks good and fools the foreigners. Meanwhile, in the depths of most shopping malls in Thailand, business as usual.

Has anyone ever seen DVD and CD copy machines destroyed???

[asiawatcher]

D Day (destruction) happens occasionally for the press but rest assured there are quite a few souvenirs that make it in to the hands of low income earning B.i.B. which frankly I think is cool - they are on such shitty salaries. I am also sure some of the more elite items make it into the hands of elitist people who can afford to purchase at 10% of retail. Previous posts allude to the scabby Customs Department and they must have containers of unregistered contraband. I had some samples of a (very) rare product snaffled by Customs as I refused to pay a bribe. I saw these products in MBK 4 days later at half the retail rate. An obvious copy or were these mine? No idea.

Edited September 10, 2012 by asiawatcher

[SOTIRIOS]

............a drop in the bucket......

[Scorpio1949]

Love this item when I see it in the news and feel happy to know I not have to worry that I buy something that is illegal in Thailand. I will walk on a complete empty Sukhumvit tonight ......................... Thanks to these hero's who save Thailand from bad publicity

[noob7]

I often wonder where the valuations come from, is it 1.8 billion baht divided across 1 million items.

1 x fake LV bag cost US $3.50 to manufacture: retail value B1,800

1x genuine LV bag costs $9.60 to manufacture: retail value B18,000

Or is 1 fake Ferrari going to be shown at full market value

For sure it is!

[Nigel1500]

laptops and cameras, why not give them to schools for free ???

ah yeah, "destroy" them, do they mean, spread amongst the policemen's families ?

no pictures of this "event" ?

1 million pieces worth 1.8 billion ?

last time i checked an illegal cd is sold 100 baht, but only worth 10

i guess this is just news to please those companies who think their profits were infringed...

Well, I personally met two British police officers on holiday in BKK with their families. They boasted to me how they were going to buy up on fake watches, DVDs, and fake brand name luxuries. Over a beer I suggested that they weren't fake, but were "genuine copies" ... they were sitting with their wives and kids. There were laughs all around. I guess that Police are the same all over the world !!!!

[dvdcm]

Gosh, is it September already?

I may have reported some years back stopping at Customs on my way out of the country with a (genuine) Rolex to get whatever was needed for my VAT refund. At least two of the officers were wearing the same model.

[OZEMADE]

Obvioulsy they missed the Aranupthat Markets, the markets all around Pattaya and I'll bet the same 8 or 10 poker machines are still being confiscated and re confiscated around Pattaya. SOoooo nothing has changed.

[Nisa]

Over 1 mil pieces of pirated products "officially" destroyed

(wink wink)