USTR still keeps close watch on movie copyright infringement practices in Thailand

[mca]

When asked to comment a spokesperson for the Thai authorities angrily claimed that pirated movies was on their list of priorities to be dealt with but they had a number of more important international and local laws to pay lip service to while doing sweet FA about first

[mca]

Been here 7 years, bought over 1000 movies, all properly legal discs. No excuses not to. Bought 2 yesterday, 47 baht each. Hate booters, hate people who buy boots instead of the real deal and hate people who try to justify them. I admit there are a number of foreign language films with no English here - that drives me a little nuts !! But more than enough for me to be going on with and the others will be bought from other countries in due course.

You think they were all fully licensed copies at 47 baht each?

Yes but they were titles such as " Cyborg Yeti Vs Crocosaurus" and " Cheerleader Summer Camp Slaughter VII"

[hawker9000]

All this pathetic & incessant whining to rationalize stealing. Do the wordy dissertations make you all feel better or what? Does doing it on the internet make you feel like you're keeping your hands a liitle bit cleaner? Look, save yourself a lot of wasted mental energy, just call yourself a thief, and get over it. I'm sure the moviemakers do understand that there are simply always going to be people like this, and adjust the pricing to make the rest of us pay. Just like the muslims now have us all doing somersaults at the airport in order to get on a plane, pirated media consumers are making the rest of us deal with a raft of "digital rights management" schemes to enjoy the music & video we've actually paid for.

Whenever there's a theft, maybe the cops should search the victim's accommodations, and if any pirated material is discovered, the suspects are immediately released, the case is closed, and the victim is sent on his way.

[Shurup]

Well there are bigger problems in Thailand than watching a movie without paying America for it.....At the end it is just a movie...

A completely ignorant, uninformed comment.

Sigh, I guess I'll have to educate you. Movie productions cost MILLIONS (100's at times). DVD's help pay for this at the back end.

Also, royalties (same as the CD's you buy) of the artist' work are stolen by bootleggers.

If you ever produce a movie or write a song, you would feel quite different.

Or produce anything else for that matter, other than hot air...

His comment was a spot on and you're raving about something he never said.

He never defended the piracy, he simply pointed out there are bigger problems in Thailand than pirated movies.

If you lived in Thailand for some time you'd know that!

[Shurup]

Well there are bigger problems in Thailand than watching a movie without paying America for it.....At the end it is just a movie...

A completely ignorant, uninformed comment.

Sigh, I guess I'll have to educate you. Movie productions cost MILLIONS (100's at times). DVD's help pay for this at the back end.

Also, royalties (same as the CD's you buy) of the artist' work are stolen by bootleggers.

If you ever produce a movie or write a song, you would feel quite different.

Or produce anything else for that matter, other than hot air...

U

So you are so sweet and innocent that you NEVER downloaded a movie or a song or magazine or book or anything that didnt have a copyright?

It is just a movie. There are not many places you can buy the real thing here in Thailand in english

In some cases you can buy them at all in some cities so that is the only way to get them. I am not justifying the legality of it. But it is impossible to stop here when there is so much demand for it.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

"There are not many places you can buy the real thing here in Thailand in english"?

There is this thing called the internet. On this internet, there are companies that will send you movies (and many other things) right to your door! Worldwide. Isn't that grand!? I hope this helps in your search...

P.S. If the internet is too confusing for you, they have these places called "Malls" too. You can get all sorts of cool stuff there as well.

And here's one of the more important Thai issues that @h90 was talking about - you try to ship something into Thailand, it will get stopped at the customs, you will be raped, turned upside down and raped again before you leave with empty wallet and whatever it is you were trying to import... Again, if you have been here for some time, you'd know that.

[rotary]

Well there are bigger problems in Thailand than watching a movie without paying America for it.....At the end it is just a movie...

The movie industry is about all the USA has left untill Bollywood takes over. Last week the chinese took over as the worlds largest economy.

[Thai at Heart]

Well there are bigger problems in Thailand than watching a movie without paying America for it.....At the end it is just a movie...

The movie industry is about all the USA has left untill Bollywood takes over. Last week the chinese took over as the worlds largest economy.

As a total, I am amazed it took this long.

Its per capita that counts anyway

[HOOD Robin]

"Besides, Thailand lacks tough enforcement and harsh punishment in the areas of local internet acts..."

It really doesn't. It's the only non-communist country I've ever been to that actually tried to block Hotmail.

Yep, they should ban Yingluck's Facebook account.

[h90]

Well there are bigger problems in Thailand than watching a movie without paying America for it.....At the end it is just a movie...

The movie industry is about all the USA has left untill Bollywood takes over. Last week the chinese took over as the worlds largest economy.

I don't buy Hollywood crap because of its low quality. But Bollywood is 1000 times worse.....

There is no danger yet that Bollywood is taking over the market.

[Thaiready]

Sales of pirate DVD's in Thailand do not affect profit margins of the US companies. Sales of pirate DVD's at flea markets in the US do.

It should also be remembered that print shops in the US pirated copy right books after independence from the UK. The question really

should be, for how long should developing countries be able to pirate copy rite materials to help bring its economy up to the level that

they can afford to pay royalties.

your wrong

[hawker9000]

Sales of pirate DVD's in Thailand do not affect profit margins of the US companies. Sales of pirate DVD's at flea markets in the US do.

It should also be remembered that print shops in the US pirated copy right books after independence from the UK. The question really

should be, for how long should developing countries be able to pirate copy rite materials to help bring its economy up to the level that

they can afford to pay royalties.

your wrong

More tired rationalizations.

All that effort just trying to avoid having to think of themselves as thieves. People like that always with us.

[Tanlic]

Been here 7 years, bought over 1000 movies, all properly legal discs. No excuses not to. Bought 2 yesterday, 47 baht each. Hate booters, hate people who buy boots instead of the real deal and hate people who try to justify them. I admit there are a number of foreign language films with no English here - that drives me a little nuts !! But more than enough for me to be going on with and the others will be bought from other countries in due course.

If Thailand could stop bootlegging tomorrow and did you'd be lucky to find a video shop anywhere. At least one where the average Thai could afford to rent a few movies a week.

I say rent because most Thais can't afford to buy top billboard movies on a regular basis.

That of course wouldn't affect you because you can afford to pay the grossly inflated prices they charge for a lump of genuine plastic here.

Almost every video shop here works the same way.........The supplier sets a monthly quota of genuine movies they must by then turn a blind eye to any copies of the same movie they wish to buy for rental purposes.

If that system were changed and shops had to buy only genuine copies they would go out of business in no time.

As a result Thais who work for a pittance and have young kids would be robbed of one of the little pleasures they have in their lives.

As far as I am concerned your boasting post reeks of stuff you I'm alright Jack.

Incidentally if a shop does not buy it's quota the suppliers don't hesitate to arrive their with their lawyers and the police to impose large fines on them.

It's a well balances system that works and allows Thais to afford to rent and the companies to make a profit and royalties to be made.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Tanlic