DSI stops the music, seizes illegal Phuket karaoke machines

[Lite Beer]

DSI stops the music, seizes illegal Phuket karaoke machines
Phuket Gazette -

PHUKET: Officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Region 8 headquarters in Surat Thani landed on the island last night to raid nine karaoke bars for music rights infringement.

Led by DSI Region 8 Director Udom Phetcharakut, the officers raided venues in Phuket Town and Kathu, starting at 8:30pm.

Along for the ride were legal representatives of the music companies who filed complaints to the DSI about their music rights being infringed upon.

The karaoke venues raided were: Som (Orange) Karaoke, Soi Fah (Blue Street or Sky Street) karaoke, Nong Mark (Little Mark) karaoke, Sila (Stone) karaoke, Nong Green (Little Green) karaoke, Nong Joy (Little Joy) karaoke, Mae Yai (Mother-in-law) karaoke, Namphueng (Honey) karaoke and Lom Nuea (Northern Wind) karaoke.

The DSI teams seized the one karaoke machine installed at each of the nine venues.

“The owners of the karaoke bars said they didn’t know their karaoke machines were illegal. They each rented one from the same company, which received a 30 per cent commission on each song played,” Mr Udom explained.

“The salesman confirmed to all of them that the machines were legal. Each machine has a sticker on it confirming it is fully compliant with music copyright laws, and even features an expiration date… But the karaoke bar owners did not know the stickers were fakes,” he said.

The nine machines were taken to Phuket Provincial Hall, from where they were to be moved on to DSI Region 8 headquarters in Surat Thani.

“The owners of karaoke bars were charged with contravening music copyright laws,” Mr Udom said.

However, he declined to name the karaoke machine company or the people operating it until the DSI officers had arrested them.

The music raids last night came hot on the heels of a two-day DSI crackdown on illegal taxis and illegal tourism businesses in Phuket

It also follows DSI officers rescuing Burmese women from forced prostitution rackets in Phuket and Phang Nga

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/DSI-stops-the-music-seizes-illegal-Phuket-karaoke-machines-21792.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-07-27

[retell]

could not afford 3500 thb for a tabacco (imported/ local) alcohol (impoted / local) and the 1900 fee for playing music and video , bussiness in phuket is really slow nowerdays

pff they get if they do not pay

[BeforeTigers]

You can't trust the water out of the tap.
If there is a more important duty of any government to it's people than clean drinking water, I have yet to hear of it.

Everything I read in the news is a joke until they work out that problem.

[madmitch]

Can you imagine the serious crime squads in developed countries being used to raid karaoke bars for playing unlicensed music? Or probe businesses for operating illegally? Or check taxi licences?

Obviously not much really serious crime in Thailand for the elite of their police force to be concerned with.

[annabel]

Don't these super DSI Super Intelligent people A_ _ Holes have anything better to do than chase a few Karaoke Bars ??... Oye! no wonder this country is going to pots...!

[Guest]

Don't these super DSI Super Intelligent people A_ _ Holes have anything better to do than chase a few Karaoke Bars ??... Oye! no wonder this country is going to pots...!

I would say DSI is doing a great service to the public. Any action which reduces air pollution with noises which should never be heard in public, is a great step for the mankind.

Anyone who doesn't have the voice of Elvis, Shakira or Da Endorphine, should not share their inner voices to others.

[JetsetBkk]

What a relief! Three cheers for the DSI! Hip hip... [silence] Hip hip... [silence] Hip hip... [silence]

Why don't you go back to Surat and do something useful with your miserable lives.

And how much did you get from the "legal representatives of the music companies"?

You're just as corrupt as the rest of them.

[marell]

It's about time. A 'no holds barred' karaoke crackdown is long overdue. Everyone should breathe a sigh of relief that this horrific menace to polite society has been neutralized. Until which time as these rogue 'karaoke-ists' participate in approved charitable activities, that is....

Edited July 28, 2013 by marell

[LALes]

They shut the bars down for the wrong reason. The bars didn't pony up the required licensing fees/bribes.

They should have been shut down for being what they are-a blight on humanity. Mostly god awful voices

screeching in the night for everyone in the neighborhood to have to endure.

[slipperx]

Misplaced targeting for the out of province police unless of course it is a warning by stepping on the toes of the Phuket police who collect the tea money from these paces?

The bar owners pay a fee, supposedly, to a rental company who issues the compliance notice that the royalites have been paid - how does that make the bar owner guilty of illegally playing music?

The music licence fee to the music companies has nothing to do with the local fee for being allowed to publicly play music for entertainment by the way. One is played to the music companies - which are amalgamated into several companies dealing with a set of different song labels each and who calculate royalities based on the number of seats at a venue.

Maybe they will be down to shut all the discos and bars in Patong next who are open way past the allotted time each paying tens to hundreds of thousands of baht a month to the local police and other authorities to stay open. If so I will believe they may even be making an attempt to start clearing things up.

[drdoom6996]

Please do this in Pattaya next!

[Pinot]

"Along for the ride were legal representatives of the music companies who filed complaints to the DSI about their music rights being infringed upon."

Soooooo, the DSI gets paid off to go after the bars by the music companies. Thank Buddha that scourge has finally been taken care of. Next up...the 42 Russian businesses with Thai fronts.

The big issues on Phuket have nothing to do with what the DSI is attacking. Nothing. Business as usual. Tuk tuk mafia remains untouched.

[Suradit69]

Can you imagine the serious crime squads in developed countries being used to raid karaoke bars for playing unlicensed music? Or probe businesses for operating illegally? Or check taxi licences?

Obviously not much really serious crime in Thailand for the elite of their police force to be concerned with.

"Can you imagine ..."

Don't have to imagine.

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Eugene DeBerger, 60, of Rochester, New York, who was convicted of copyright infringement, was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $41,460 to the Motion Picture Association by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who handled the case, stated that between January 2007 and August 2010, DeBerger bought legal copies of copyright protected DVD movies and burned copies on his home computer. The defendant then sold them online for $3.99 apiece. During the time period, DeBerger sold over 7,000 DVDs.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the special agents from Federal Bureau of Investigation under the direction of Richard Frankel, Acting Special Agent in Charge.

Edited July 28, 2013 by Suradit69

[Suradit69]

"Along for the ride were legal representatives of the music companies who filed complaints to the DSI about their music rights being infringed upon."

Soooooo, the DSI gets paid off to go after the bars by the music companies. Thank Buddha that scourge has finally been taken care of. Next up...the 42 Russian businesses with Thai fronts.

The big issues on Phuket have nothing to do with what the DSI is attacking. Nothing. Business as usual. Tuk tuk mafia remains untouched.

Soooooo, the DSI gets paid off to go after the bars by the music companies.

Maybe some experts from Scotland Yard could share info with the locals on how best to take bribes while conducting their business. Apparently British police augment their salaries by working for Nigerian politicians as well as Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

Scotland Yard today arrested a serving policeman and two former officers on suspicion of bribing detectives in its anti-corruption command.

Hours later, a 45-year-old detective constable with the Met was arrested at a residential address outside London.

These suggested its officers leaked to RISC sensitive information from an investigation into James Ibori, a notorious Nigerian politician jailed for money-laundering, just weeks before the start of his trial.

Oh dear. Corruption at the anti-corruption command. Not enough tea money paid to the right people somewhere.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/scotland-yard-bribery-probe-detective-and-exofficers-held-in-raid-7782164.html

Edited July 28, 2013 by Suradit69

[Emdog]

I wonder how much of those fees goes to Elvis estate et al.... Here they will arrest a cop if he doesn't take a bribe. One good apple theory. Chula University did an investigation into the cause of corruption and lawlessness in Thailand, and the results were that it was illegal karaoke that was to blame. So you can expect a steep decline in all the usual crimes that infest Phuket. You could look it up.

[how241]

What a relief! Three cheers for the DSI! Hip hip... [silence] Hip hip... [silence] Hip hip... [silence]

Why don't you go back to Surat and do something useful with your miserable lives.

And how much did you get from the "legal representatives of the music companies"?

You're just as corrupt as the rest of them.

+1

[jpeg]

Is this the same DSI who, some while ago, came down from Bangkok to help the Thai family of the young woman who was murdered and stuffed into a wheelie bin by that Norwegian guy because what passes for law enforcement here on Phuket did nothing? What's happened to them?

Edited July 28, 2013 by jpeg