Pirate-goods sellers protest being ‘exploited’ through alleged government extortion

[thaicookingchef]

Pirated goods ? Where ? Never seen any. I just see shops selling goods at the real price that they should be sold if the international brands were not MTF robbers.

[aidon]

Simply amazing what you can protest over in Thailand.

As well it is amazing to see the local officials in Bangkok (Sukhumvit) stalking foreigners who are smoking on the street waiting for them to throw a but on the sidewalk and fine them 2000B yet they do nothing about the vendors selling counterfeit products or illegal drugs.

Amazing Thailand!

[unanimosity]

I see it more as free advertizing for the big companies,most people who buy a fake Rolex can not afford a real one.

So what if the watch stops running after a few days?Some keep on going for years.

The same with sunglasses and other stuff.

Just like the big drug companies refuse to sell for a lower price,corperate power!

Interesting concept. Instead of fake they should be called generic like pharmaceuticals?

[heybuz]

i needed a laugh today

[KarenBravo]

Hmmmm......seems many people here are not seeing the real problem.

The government signs an international agreement protecting intellectual property and copyright.

Then, that government does not enforce the law when members of that self same government allow its citizens to flout that agreement and to collect bribes to allow it.

Totally illegal, hypocritical and immoral.

[Jimbolai]

This will go on page 2 of 2. There will be a page 30 of 30 being this the most entertaining and intellectual article this month.

[Jimbolai]

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Hmmmm......seems many people here are not seeing the real problem.

The government signs an international agreement protecting intellectual property and copyright.

Then, that government does not enforce the law when members of that self same government allow its citizens to flout that agreement and to collect bribes to allow it.

Totally illegal, hypocritical and immoral.

Yeh, all goods must carry a label with full disclosure like 99.99% authentic copy. Perhaps a little more sophisticated like 5 Carat natural see through plastic ingredients. You know,,, truth in advertising for those of us that read the labels.

[ronrat]

When these companies start paying a decent wage to the sweat shop workers who make them I will start having sympathy for their hard intellectual effort in designing a shirt with a poicket on it and charging 175 dollars for it after a cost to make and ship of about 5.

[Lee4Life]

Pretty brave of them actually!

As far as the pirated goods go, most of the people that buy them are not the kind of people who are going to fork out the big bucks for the real thing if the copied stuff is not available, and I don't think that most people will fork over the money for an airplane ticket to Thailand just to buy pirated goods...although they may buy some while they are here anyway.

[wabothai]

An anti-corruption hotline. Best i have heard in a long time. The only way !

Even if it takes a million people to answer the phones.

[Joe Mamma]

More short term thinking. How the the folks who spent months developing these intellectual properties, being taxed and having their profits ate up by pirates feel is same same.

[Payboy]

An anti-corruption hotline.

Need to pay not to be kept on hold for too long.

[techboy]

If it is going to be permitted then the "pirate" merchants should be able to pay a straight fee to the cops that they can handle. Take out the heavy fines on ones that sell software and movies with malware attached.

Those ignorants who think that Thailand is the hub for pirated stuff have never been to China. Typical Thai basher mouth without mind.

Oh yeah that Lady Gaga comment. I still do not understand why it bothered some Thais. It is an embarrassment to Americans. Someone comes to an exotic and fascinating place like Thailand and their mentality is about buying pirated wristwatches? Man what an airhead image that projected.

[cheeryble]

Got to admit I kinda like that "fake" goods expose "real" goods for what they are:

Overpriced boosters to the ego.

While we're at it:

How can super expensive paintings continue to stimulate the mind and justify their price?

The very nature of stimulants is that whilst at first enraptured the mind normalises them and they just become ordinary or at best pleasant.

No sorry it's an easily seen through house of cards which makes people….probably unknowingly…..think the painting makes them somehow bigger or better.

[Chris Lawrence]

Talking to the one of the pirate copy movie stalls in Sukhumvit Road last year, they were owned by a police officer. I suppose it was one way the 4 or 5 Burmese lads evaded the over-payments and arrests.

[ggt]

Let me get this straight...the criminals of pirated goods...are complaining about the criminal politicians and other extortionist...

Who says there is not freedom of speech in this country...

Is this a great country...or what?

Edited May 31, 2014 by ggt

[gchurch259]

I personaly wish they would get all these vendors of the sidewalks and put them in a market somewhere off the main street.

Would be nice to walk a few blocks without all these people and their customers blocking the sidewalk, of course there is the dodging motorcycles on the sidewalk.

Next is all the beggars, I mean three or four to every block is a bit much.

Enough, I feel better !! Jerry

[MMarlow]

Lets hope the new government will get to grips with this along with the illegal casinos as part of the much needed reforms.

Yesterday I witnessed an elderly lady begging at the foot of a sky train station and as I walked by another lady carrying a baby arrived and passed the baby to the elderly lady and then left.

Whats all that about?

Simple scam maths.

1 old lady = ?Bht

1 old lady + baby = ?Bht

I was aquanted with a guy who would take the fall for the sellers of these pirated goods. Made a decent living out of it.

He did get some free board and meals from time to time as well.

Bit too simple. According to your "maths" a lady with a baby and a lady without a baby make the same (?Bht).

[MMarlow]

Good riddins to the crap merchants. Better quality can often be bought cheaper in the west, you just won't have a label which others know is associated with crap knockoffs.

"Oh look how many girls have Gucci handbags in Fountain Lakes, they must be effluent out here"

"...they must be effluent out here". NIce.

[biggles45]

"So what? It is illegal, stealing royalty payments from legitimate companies who have invested heavily in designing and manufacturing their genuine goods."

You have to be kidding? At the price they sell the copies, no one believes they are buying genuine goods so it has no effect on the reputation of the original products. And none of the tourists paying 1,000 baht is going to be buying a real one for $10,000. !!

[Traveling Sailor]

What a bunch of idiots. They are selling cheap knock-offs and they don't think they are doing anything illegal? They want protection? Someone needs to straighten these fools out.

[sz1a]

I understand them, it's the way it works in Thailand. And does anyone in here seriously believe the fake rolex watches are hurting the sales of real ones? Do you think the people who buy fakes can even afford a real rolex? It's similar in China, the fakes just let people enjoy having a beautiful hand bag or watch. Rich people still buy the real goods because they can afford it and because of the status. The fakes are advertised as fakes too, everybody knows it.

I am glad some power is taken from the corporations who want nothing more than consumerist societies like the USA, with nice looking things only available for those with money and the rest scrambling to get some to increase their self worth.

[Alwyn]

“Closed because we cannot afford to pay extortion money” and “Did not sell ya bah [methamphetamine], why do they think we commit a crime.”

THIS IS WHY.. “We know the goods are illegal, but tourists like them,” They think you're committing a crime because YOU ARE!!! The vendors of these fake goods don't pay income tax or VAT, maybe they should think of the money paid to police etc as a form of tax. That's what we did in Russia when we had to pay the roof. It's what we did when we were paying the police, tourist police and immigration their tea money in Phuket each Monday (it went into our accounts as "pre-paid fines)!

.

[tonypace02]

Police enforcers committing extortion is far more serious than pirating of goods that most people already know are phony. Anybody who does not understand that deserves treatment they get from police.

[eezergood]

You really cant make this sh!t up!

[boggle]

Now correct me if I am wrong please but is that a protest and is it a gathering of over 5 people?

Are they not breaking the law that has been put in place by the military junta? Where are the soldiers to enforce this?

My god! Anarchy in the streets. Is this the beginning of the end?

[ScotBkk]

That's OK, they are only protesting against the other criminals.

Now that is funny

[danbradster]

"So what? It is illegal, stealing royalty payments from legitimate companies who have invested heavily in designing and manufacturing their genuine goods."

You have to be kidding? At the price they sell the copies, no one believes they are buying genuine goods so it has no effect on the reputation of the original products. And none of the tourists paying 1,000 baht is going to be buying a real one for $10,000. !!

Sure it affects their reputation. With poor people walking around with fake Luis Vuiton bags, rich people don't feel so much exclusivity benefit from buying one, so they are less likely to buy, and the reputation is therefore less valuable.

[ttthailand]

Hahaha.... Now I have heard everything. This is just one example of how out of control this country has become. People breaking Thai and International laws protesting about other people breaking laws. &lt;deleted&gt;!!!

To the protesters ... stop selling illegal goods and you won't have to pay the police.

To the police ..... In a strange way what you are doing might just have an impact on people selling illegal goods. Please increase your fees by 500% and perhaps the problem will be solved. Think of it as a sin tax to those breaking the law selling illegal goods.

I think this is really going to piss off the police as now it is in black and white that the police are involved .... Loss of face is dangerous!

[iSabai]

Bit of a stretch to compare bogus copy purses, sunglasses, watches, and CD's/DVD's with drugs ain't it? Lots of people like to come here and buy that crap, so what?

So what? It is illegal, stealing royalty payments from legitimate companies who have invested heavily in designing and manufacturing their genuine goods.

Would you be happy if you invested your money to produce a nice design of watch and then some schmucks go and copy it and sell a crappy version that will break within days?

At Phuket Airport, there are signs warning passengers that they may be arrested in Italy and Germany if they are found to be carrying counterfeit goods.

I get that Simon, and understand it's illegal. But it's not like they're pawning off Gucci bags and Rolex watches as the real thing. People get a kick out of having a knock-off Gucci and I don't see a huge problem with it. Outside of these companies' bottom lines which is what it's really all about.

If Germany and Italy arrest these folks, it's not for the good of anybody other than protecting these companies' profits, and I'm sure they're the ones pressuring them to do so. PC is all about the wussification and homogenization of the world. Making everything and everywhere the same is for the sake of profits and nothing else. Just another form of control, and it rubs me the wrong way.

BTW, just read about your rescue op with the French dude, nice job.