Thailand awaits good news on Priority Watch List removal

By English News

BANGKOK, Feb 18 – It is highly possible that the United States will soon upgrade Thailand from the Priority Watch List (PWL) to Watch List (WL) after an initial positive response to the kingdom’s handling of intellectual property piracy and violations, a senior official said.

newsjs

Patchima Tanasanti, director general of the Intellectual Property (IP) Department, said a Thai delegation visited the US last week to submit data and information on Thailand’s suppression of violations including successive campaigns on the purchase of legal IP products and the House of Representatives’ approval of laws to impose harsher punishment against IP violators.

The US public and private sectors were satisfied with Thailand’s measures on IP violations and initially expressed their willingness to upgrade the country from PWL to WL in its April meeting, she said.

Ms Patchima said Thailand has been on the Priority Watch List for four to five years, even as the government and private sector have successfully collaborated in cracking down on IP violations and piracy.

Each year the Office of the US Trade Representative identifies countries which do not provide "adequate and effective" protection of intellectual property rights, and undertakes annual surveys of foreign countries' intellectual property laws and policies. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-02-18

Someone needs to monitor the large money transfers to the US.

Edited February 18, 201313 yr by Pimay1

It is highly possible that the United States will soon upgrade Thailand from the Priority Watch List (PWL) to Watch List (WL) after an initial positive response to the kingdom’s handling of intellectual property piracy and violations, a senior official said.

The steamroller show worked !

I'd be very surprised if Thailand was taken off the Watch List.

The US aren't stupid. This country is one giant IP infraction

Stranger things have happened.

I'd be very surprised if Thailand was taken off the Watch List.

The US aren't stupid. This country is one giant IP infraction

Stranger things have happened.

Wait,

you mean those vid booths,

as prolific as air molecules,

arent selling the real thing?

I have noticed that internet based sources are drying up

but i havent seen a single vid booth close.

So they cleaned up somethings they can show,

but didnt impact any votes, or income.

Actually a pretty nice job,

if the US buys it! (pun intended)

So this rating is based on a review of a country's laws. It seems to me that they should base it on the realities. A stroll around Pantip Plaza and Chatuchak by US trade officials might prove illuminating.

Someone needs to monitor the large money transfers to the US.

If Thailand does in fact be removed from the list...I think the above statement may have truth.....even the Yanks like money on bags!!

Guess they missed the fact that the top lobby group in the US against piracy announced a few days ago they will lobby for Thailand to remain on the list.

They must also have been under the mistaken impression they have filled any of the criteria to be removed from the list, which they haven't.

So this rating is based on a review of a country's laws. It seems to me that they should base it on the realities. A stroll around Pantip Plaza and Chatuchak by US trade officials might prove illuminating.

They have those. But they require 2 weeks of notice to Pantip, advance visits and carefully planned routes. A Puppet show.

1 hour inside Pantip with a buttonhole camera and I will expose the scam for what it is.

The US are well aware of this.

There are two things the US won't do. First, they won't take Thailand off the PWL and second, they won't do anything in the way of consequences against Thailand. Go figure.

I'd be very surprised if Thailand was taken off the Watch List.

The US aren't stupid. This country is one giant IP infraction

Stranger things have happened.

"The US aren't stupid"

The previous thread on the subject.

This is the important bit:

"they require to do a full audit and replacement of pirated software in all government offices to be even considered for removal. Other criteria that need to be met include declaring piracy as organised crime andmaking landlords responsible if tenants sell pirated goods."

Let us hope that a few Thai 'pollies' and their cohorts are holding their breath while awaiting removal from the list.

If Thailand is taken off the Watch List then someone has greased a lot of palms. Surely this has to be a joke, they copy every from a DVD to Drugs - even the books used for learning are copied.

There are more 'branded' counterfeit products on Sukumvit Road than I can ever remember seeing in my almost 10 years here. While previously there was a veiled attempt at hiding direct imitations, that is not the case today. The packed tables of Viagra, Valium, etc etc are a relatively new thing too. Only been around 12 months or so.

I hope nothing was lost in diplomatic translation like Japan's reported 'enthusiasm' for getting involved in Dawei.

The previous thread on the subject.

http://www.thaivisa....st#entry6104139

This is the important bit:

"they require to do a full audit and replacement of pirated software in all government offices to be even considered for removal. Other criteria that need to be met include declaring piracy as organised crime andmaking landlords responsible if tenants sell pirated goods."

I wonder if government offices includes schools..

So if Thailand was top of the list for dodgy watches and we get removed where will the yanks go to buy their fake Rolexs.......

Im joking just in cae any of the overserious members are watching!!!

Why is Thailand kow-towing to the US anyway? Some of the USA's best allies like Canada and Israel are also on the Priority Watch List. And the fact is that a very large percentage of the world's population lives in countries on the PWL, including China, Russia and India. That's nearly HALF of the world's people, while the US is less than 5%. Why do so few have control of so many?

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_301_Report#Special_301_Report_2012

There are more 'branded' counterfeit products on Sukumvit Road than I can ever remember seeing in my almost 10 years here. While previously there was a veiled attempt at hiding direct imitations, that is not the case today. The packed tables of Viagra, Valium, etc etc are a relatively new thing too. Only been around 12 months or so.

True , 4 years ago I was in mbk and couldn't get what I wanted as it wasn't there , roll onto a year ago and they now have 3 floors dedicated to what I was after !

As I've noted elsewhere the key upcoming issue is the US law which provides for a audit to ensure that a foreign company is not using unpaid for or incorrect version [e.g. Scholastic not Commercial Licence] software to create an unfair advantage.

That one will [and has already] bite hard.

I recall receiving documents from a company here. The meta data implied just such usage.

Edited February 18, 201313 yr by A_Traveller

As I've noted elsewhere the key upcoming issue is the US law which provides for a audit to ensure that a foreign company is not using unpaid for or incorrect version [e.g. Scholastic not Commercial Licence] software to create an unfair advantage.

That one will [and has already] bite hard.

I recall receiving documents from a company here. The meta data implied just such usage.

A thai shrimp exporter got done last year. Expect that to export to the US, you should comply, but whether that includes spot checks is another issue.

what amazed me or rather not, my favorite game shop, has the owner of shopkeeper, on a big picture visible to everybody at the entrance of him and the local BIB

i guess, in case someone else comes in, they know not to mess with the shop

i wonder if the BIB on the picture got some present every month, let's say for copyright notice of using his picture

So this rating is based on a review of a country's laws. It seems to me that they should base it on the realities. A stroll around Pantip Plaza and Chatuchak by US trade officials might prove illuminating.

+1

Never going to happen. The Public Relations Dept working OT due to elections?

"Ms Patchima said Thailand has been on the Priority Watch List for four to five years, even as the government and private sector have successfully collaborated in cracking down on IP violations and piracy"

Sorry, Ms Patchima, you can say what you like inside Thailand and demand that people accept it as a valid response, but it doesn't work elsewhere.

I do not see the difference if on or off the list

I'd be very surprised if Thailand was taken off the Watch List.

The US aren't stupid. This country is one giant IP infraction

Stranger things have happened.

100% agree. Copies everywhere, including copy cycle frames and cycle parts from high end manufacturers like Look and Cinelli. Copy drugs that are damaging people's health, copy handbags, clothing, dvds, software, cds - the list is endless. I hate it.

This is the advisory report on Thailand from the IIPA to the US Trade representative 8FEB2013 which does recommend that Thailand be moved to the 'Watch List':

http://www.iipa.com/rbc/2013/2013SPEC301THAILAND.PDF

a Thai delegation visited the US last week to submit data and information on Thailand’s suppression of violations including successive campaigns on the purchase of legal IP products and the House of Representatives’ approval of laws to impose harsher punishment against IP violators.

Will they just believe the Thai data? It's OK having laws but are they enforced?

It all seems a bit weak to me.