Business owners warned about continuing music-copyright scams

[Rimmer]

Business owners warned about continuing music-copyright scams

PATTAYA:--A gang of grifters operating in the Soi Bunkanchanaram neighborhood again has authorities warning business owners about music-copyright scams.

Piyada Pleesai, 34, said a group of about six men recently came into her restaurant claiming to represent the Inter Music Copyright Co. One was dressed as a policeman and demanded she pay 30,000 baht for playing music in her eatery without buying a music license.

Piyada wisely went to police at the Dongtan station, but found that the officers offered her no assistance and told her to negotiate with the scammers herself. She claimed police told her that if she didn’t, she’d be locked up.

Piyada negotiated the extortion down to 15,000 baht, but said that she’d been victimized earlier by the same scam.

The fraudsters apparently have been operating for some time, as the owner of Bagga Massage reported a similar scam in August last year. That time, however, the masseuse said she refused to pay and was beaten up by the gang members.

Full story:http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/business-owners-warned-about-continuing-music-copyright-scams-27308

-- Pattaya Mail 2013-06-21

[fakename]

Has any of these scammers ever been caught? How can they be caught, if the police are helping them? In most countries, if someone is impersonating a police officer, its a serious crime, and are jailed, but here the police just say, "take care of it yourself"!

[DiNiro]

What are we supposed to do when a cop approaches us?

Run?

Fight them off?

Cooperate?

Edited June 22, 2013 by Rimmer

[dazk]

one solution to the problem would be to have only one copyright company

or maybe two, one for thai music and one for international

having so many companies with copy right leaves the system open to abuse and if you where to purchase a licence from them all very expensive

[Pinot]

A scam that the local police let go on. This is Thailand. They show up once a year in our beach town. The secret is to not be there when they are. They hit and run. Every bar has been hit and I don't know one that's paid anything.

[besth]

Has any of these scammers ever been caught? How can they be caught, if the police are helping them? In most countries, if someone is impersonating a police officer, its a serious crime, and are jailed, but here the police just say, "take care of it yourself"!

Yes, but are you sure they are "impersonating" and not just "supporting"? That would explain the "take care of yourself" reaction from the (rest of the) police.

[joepattaya1961]

The "take care of it yourself" response of the BiB is saying in other words: "we are not going to get involved in side-jobs of our colleagues".

The only places to file a complaint is at the Federal bunch of anti-corruption people or the Bangkok Police.

[mrtoad]

They were in Koh Chang a few months backs, certainly have tacit approval of The BIB, certainly scammed a fair amount out of a few people.

[EyesWideOpen]

My understanding is that these grifters in fact work with the police.

Without police involvement the businesses being shaken down would just

tell the scammers to bleep off. That is why they had a policeman with them.

Another tip off that the police are involved, is if you do not pay, you end

up at the police station. Hard to get more clear than that...

Saying the policeman with the scammers was " impersonating" an office,

is a nice farcical touch to the story.

[sotsira]

Interesting to know whether they have the right to issue on the spot fines,

what would they do if they were asked to issue court proceedings and go through

the legal system instead.

[Potosi]

Behold, the fruits of small government. No protection by the law for the individual and small businesses, government taxation complemented by private taxes.

[dazk]

Interesting to know whether they have the right to issue on the spot fines,

what would they do if they were asked to issue court proceedings and go through

the legal system instead.

no they dont they are suppose to go to the court to get an order to sue you for playing the music they own the rights to which 90% of the time you would not be playing there music

[sotsira]

Interesting to know whether they have the right to issue on the spot fines,

what would they do if they were asked to issue court proceedings and go through

the legal system instead.

no they dont they are suppose to go to the court to get an order to sue you for playing the music they own the rights to which 90% of the time you would not be playing there music

Then surely it would benefit those who are being scammed to refuse to pay any instant

fines, and demand that the scammers produce the correct and legal court order and then wait a few years for the Thai legal system to deal with it.

If it ever would come to that, which i doubt.

[chrisinth]

If it does happen to any readers/posters here who are bar/restaurant owners, make sure you check their credentials and get a photograph of each of them. if they complain or object, then call for the BiB, reporting a disturbance on your premises.

With these so called copyright companies, the only involvement by the police is to maintain a presence in case of trouble. That will only be provided if the said company asks for the escort. So, even if you are not quite legit, there is nothing the police can do if the 'inspectors' can't validate who they are.

CCTV is fine, but nothing beats a good HD photograph. Makes them think.

[mrtoad]

If it does happen to any readers/posters here who are bar/restaurant owners, make sure you check their credentials and get a photograph of each of them. if they complain or object, then call for the BiB, reporting a disturbance on your premises.

With these so called copyright companies, the only involvement by the police is to maintain a presence in case of trouble. That will only be provided if the said company asks for the escort. So, even if you are not quite legit, there is nothing the police can do if the 'inspectors' can't validate who they are.

CCTV is fine, but nothing beats a good HD photograph. Makes them think.

They got quit upset when I started taking photos of them when they went into my friends resteraunt. They didn't get no money either, but ripped off at least another 4 places fo 20 to 30 k each that night, plus iPads and iPods.

[chrisinth]

If it does happen to any readers/posters here who are bar/restaurant owners, make sure you check their credentials and get a photograph of each of them. if they complain or object, then call for the BiB, reporting a disturbance on your premises.

With these so called copyright companies, the only involvement by the police is to maintain a presence in case of trouble. That will only be provided if the said company asks for the escort. So, even if you are not quite legit, there is nothing the police can do if the 'inspectors' can't validate who they are.

CCTV is fine, but nothing beats a good HD photograph. Makes them think.

They got quit upset when I started taking photos of them when they went into my friends resteraunt. They didn't get no money either, but ripped off at least another 4 places fo 20 to 30 k each that night, plus iPads and iPods.

We used to get them from time to time up here in Phitsanulok. Always regarded them as frauds, even if they weren't. I always had a CD or thumb drive available with Royalty Free tracks only on them.

That and the photographs really does p1ss them off.................

BTW, there are literally hundreds of thousands of royalty free tracks available on the net.

[bartender100]

This what I found when trying to help a friend recently, these questions were asked to MPC Music Company Limited, the largest by far in Thailand

1. The so called "music police", is your company involved in this?

- We are not involved with the music police. Please find the attached letter that we explain about this situation.

2. Do we have to hold other copy right music license other than yours?

- Yes, if you would like to use the Thai music and or International music that are not under our control such as GMM Grammy and RS.

3. Do we need a license to pipe True Vision music channels?

- If you play the music through True Vision music channels, you do not need to apply for True Vision music license. However, the playing music should be the music under our license.

4. If you use your license will you provide us with a play list of what we can and can't play? and a certificate to prove that

- MPC licenses a worldwide music label's repertoire and controlled the largest international song list in Thailand . There are more than 5,000,000 songs under MPC license. Moreover, Sony Music Thai, who owned more than 3,200 Thai songs, authorized MPC to administrate their right in those songs.

You can use the music which under the label of EMI Music, Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music. You also find the full list of songs at the website of the Department of Intellectual Property as follow: http://www.ipthailand.go.th/ipthailand/index.php?option=com_docman&;task=cat_view&;gid=539&;Itemid=684

We will provide the license certificate and send to you by registered post within 2 weeks after we received the transferred fee.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

I have attached the letter of their awareness of the scammers, a license for a small bar is about B15,000 a year from these people, and they tell you what to do in the event the scammers try it on, and will back you up.

Hope this helps

MPC 2013.pdf

Edited July 3, 2013 by bartender100