Crackdown On Import Of Fake Goods Urged During High Season: Thailand

[webfact]

Crackdown on import of fake goods urged during high season

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Patent and copyright owners have urged the government to work seriously to end the import and trade of illegal goods because the sale of such counterfeits is booming during the current tourism high season.

Mala Tangprasert, vice chairwoman of the Private Sector Committee for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, said Thailand should crack down on the import of fake products from neighbouring countries and China as they damage the Kingdom's image and cause large economic losses.

"Copycat goods including fake brand-name watches, bags, compact discs, DVDs, garments and mobile-phone equipment are easily found during the tourism high season. Foreigners have acknowledged that they can easily find counterfeit goods in Thailand, especially near tourist attractions. The government needs to crack down seriously on fake goods," she said.

Also, as the United States is a world leader in touting the importance of intellectual property rights (IPR), the recent visit by President Barack Obama should encourage the country to crack down on violations. This problem has long damaged the country's image and obstructed trade growth with the US because it has put Thailand on its Priority Watch List for many years.

Among the US products that have been highly counterfeited in Thailand are movies in DVD and video-CD formats.

Mala said loose control of the entry of illegal goods from neighbouring countries and China where they are produced was a major contributor to their high availability here.

She said the government should concentrate its crackdown on red and yellow zones for illegal trading, which are tourism spots. In Bangkok, these include MBK, Patpong Night Bazaar, Silom Road, Sukhumvit Road, Panthip, Klong Thom and Ban Mo.

-- The Nation 2012-11- 21

[coma]

She said the government should concentrate its crackdown on red and yellow zones for illegal trading, which are tourism spots.

What is the difference ? If they are going to actually enforce an already existing law of the Thai constitution then they should crackdown nationwide and for 365 days per year every year. Just another case of we are Thai, we have one set of rules and everybody else is not.

[culicine]

Isn't there enough locally made counterfeit products to deal with Those pesky foreigners again, stealing our business!

[lizardtongue]

What a load of BS, if they wanted they could go to ANY Panthip Plaza in ANY major city/town and find with ease illegal copies of Microsoft products, films, teaching aids etc etc, even major electrical stores carry new PC's preloaded with copy 'Windows'.

I was told by one such store manager in Chiangmai that they pay 5,000 Bt a month for a blind eye to be turned, however if the Bangkok police come and catch them (I assume that they get a 'heads up' from the locals) it is 10,000 and a few 'gifts'

Fake watches and the like are constantly being offered on Sukhumvit/Nana in direct view of the police post, the MIB will walk past these offenders to mug apprehend a foreigner discarding a cigarette end.

[JeremyBowskill]

Makes sense to crack down on 1 of the aspects that tourists come to Thailand and want to see right before high season. Think I would have invited Obama in low season and then made a token effort if it were up to me.

[noob7]

Isn't there enough locally made counterfeit products to deal with Those pesky foreigners again, stealing our business!

"Thailand should crack down on the import of fake products from neighbouring countries and China as they damage the Kingdom's image and cause large economic losses."

Isn't it nice? And at the Airport in Phuket, international departure area, it's clearly shown, that no one worries the sale of 'genuine Thai' fake goods, anyway:

Edited November 21, 2012 by noob7

[tominbkk]

Haha, it's all run and owned by the cops in the first place. Crack down on them!

Corruption always starts at and is nurtured by corrupt police.

[jaltsc]

"Mala Tangprasert, vice chairwoman of the Private Sector Committee for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, said Thailand should crack down on the import of fake products from neighbouring countries and China as they damage the Kingdom's image and cause large economic losses."

What wasn't mentioned in the article was that he was late for the press conference because his "genuine" Rolex was running an hour behind

[arthurboy]

Yes, maybe the Nation would like to do a major expose on the whole counterfeit business from top to bottom. You know the kind of thing - undercover reporting with vid. clips, hearing Mr. Big explain how he pays of the authorities, seeing the authorities receiving their envelop etc. etc. etc. yawn.

Better still, the minister responsible - along with the relevant government officials - wandering along Sukhumvit incognito to see the situation at first hand, etc. etc. etc. yawn.

Or maybe not.

[jcw]

The Nation and the words investigative reporting reminds me when the Thai politician walked the streets of Pattaya and claimed there is NO prostitution in Pattaya and kept a straight face and the news papers reported it as such.

Back to farlang land....

[asiawatcher]

Crying foul? What can't stand the competition in fakes? Thailand is as guilty as any other country and the token raids, publicity stunts of driving vehicles over DVD's and burnings are simply consolidation of territories amongst the bigger boys who can afford to pay off the corrupt officials. No different to Thaksins raid on drugs dealers, remove the competition and consolidate the territories. Corruption is rife, alive and well here and will remain so.

[bendejo]

Corruption is one thing, then there is the bs charade of being anti-corruption.

We learn to deal with the former, the latter is useless window dressing to kiss up to the Western powers.

No one in the region is being fooled.

[chooka]

Are they rolling this little chestnut out again? What happened to the other dozen or so identical crackdowns they had? I guess they were just psuedo crackdowns. Oh well maybe this one is ligit.

All these neighbouring countries producing pirated goods and dumping them in Thailand is just not right. Thailand would never do such a thing. Bad Bad nieghbours giving thailand a bad name.

Edited November 21, 2012 by chooka

[Halion]

Thailand, The Hub of Psuedo Crackdowns and Government BS

[noitom]

Thailand is indeed a "fake" country. Its basic principles are to compromise any ethics, laws, rights of others, and values for the benefit of financial self enrichment. Its laws are fake and only apply selectively. Thais deny everything, and when that doesn't do it, they announce a "crackdown," but only in certain areas. Preposterous. The counterfeit trade, drug trade, and sex trade has been going on for more than half a century. Does anyone really take Thais seriously when they bluster, puff, and announce another "crackdown?"

[LuckyLew]

If they got rid of all the fakes stuff in Thailand

two thirds of all sales people would be unemployed

[chrisinth]

TAT have just discovered that these "imported" copy goods will be detrimental to the projected profit figures from the tourists they have released.

Copy? Right!!...............

[fareastguy]

It's more of a question of affordability, rather than out & out corruption.

Corruption in the true sense is when you try to sell the item swearing till your blue in the face that it's the "real deal"

Thais in the majority who are on a moderate to low income can only afford fake goods when talking about showing off a top label, so to are the "visiting farangs" who are just bargain hunting for an even lower price, fakes are part of Thai culture, until wages equal fashion prices then fakes will be prevalent.

You can't always blame China or other neighbouring countries either for forcing their goods over the border, in most cases you will find Thai business owners selling their fake goods to Thai consumers, both fully aware that they are fake.

Price dictates all in Thailand.

[MEL1]

Are they rolling this little chestnut out again? What happened to the other dozen or so identical crackdowns they had? I guess they were just psuedo crackdowns. Oh well maybe this one is ligit.

This is a legit copy.

-mel.

[WyattEarp]

I think everybody is misunderstanding this. This is not a government news release but by "Private Sector Committee for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights" which is probably like the RIAA in USA. They're just doing their job.

[softgeorge]

It's more of a question of affordability, rather than out & out corruption.

Corruption in the true sense is when you try to sell the item swearing till your blue in the face that it's the "real deal"

Thais in the majority who are on a moderate to low income can only afford fake goods when talking about showing off a top label, so to are the "visiting farangs" who are just bargain hunting for an even lower price, fakes are part of Thai culture, until wages equal fashion prices then fakes will be prevalent.

You can't always blame China or other neighbouring countries either for forcing their goods over the border, in most cases you will find Thai business owners selling their fake goods to Thai consumers, both fully aware that they are fake.

Price dictates all in Thailand.

Agree everyone knows that so many things in Thailand are fake and it is the only way the general populous can afford them. I to have been guilty of buying pirated DVD's as I am sure so many others on here also have done.

Here are some you can buy in the markets at the moment

The Lone Ranger, End of Shift, World War "Z", Parker, Skyfall, Broken City, all entertaining movies and I think they are only just in the cinemas now. 100 baht each for good quality couldn't resist.

Edited November 21, 2012 by softgeorge

[noob7]

If they got rid of all the fakes stuff in Thailand

two thirds of all sales people would be unemployed

Even the employment of many is a fake: No sale, no pay!

[kurnell]

Every crackdown is a giant bag of balls. We know it, the press know it, the Thais know it. I think they should replace crackdowns with something useful like page 3 girls

[noob7]

It's more of a question of affordability, rather than out & out corruption.

Corruption in the true sense is when you try to sell the item swearing till your blue in the face that it's the "real deal"

Nope, it isn't!

• Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.
  
• The action of making someone or something morally depraved or the state of being so.
  

What you mean, is called fraud

[noob7]

It's more of a question of affordability, rather than out & out corruption.

Corruption in the true sense is when you try to sell the item swearing till your blue in the face that it's the "real deal"

Thais in the majority who are on a moderate to low income can only afford fake goods when talking about showing off a top label, so to are the "visiting farangs" who are just bargain hunting for an even lower price, fakes are part of Thai culture, until wages equal fashion prices then fakes will be prevalent.

You can't always blame China or other neighbouring countries either for forcing their goods over the border, in most cases you will find Thai business owners selling their fake goods to Thai consumers, both fully aware that they are fake.

Price dictates all in Thailand.

Agree everyone knows that so many things in Thailand are fake and it is the only way the general populous can afford them. I to have been guilty of buying pirated DVD's as I am sure so many others on here also have done.

Here are some you can buy in the markets at the moment

The Lone Ranger, End of Shift, World War "Z", Parker, Skyfall, Broken City, all entertaining movies and I think they are only just in the cinemas now. 100 baht each for good quality couldn't resist.

In case, you can get them in good quality on the road: They are for sure on piratebay. Or what do you think, how they got them?

Edited November 21, 2012 by noob7

[Atoosa07]

Its only becasue of the US President was here reminding them about what they should do once Obama leave Asia its back to square one......

[spirit47]

Uhh, the ugly Chinese smugle copies into the land, foreigners have responsibility for the cucarachas in the trains, it will be better to close the borders, to keep Thailand clean and a paradiese of honest people...

[Soi Sauce]

If Thais stopped selling them, no-one would import them here. The inverse is true of drugs.

It's not even maths.

Edited November 21, 2012 by Soi Sauce

[meatboy]

does it include men who pertain to be a women.

[noob7]

does it include men who pertain to be a women.

"Crackdown On Import Of Fake Goods"

This men are genuinely Thai fake ladies! And b/c no one is talking about a 'cackdown on Thailand made of fake goods', anyway....!

It may occur, that the one or the other 'non Thai national' producer of fake goods will be 'collateral damage'. But only, to open the market a bit better and to rise the revenues of the Thai competitors!