Bangkok--24 Oct--Vero Public Relations
The Thai police authorities have executed a search warrant and filed charges against an international, publicly-listed company for software copyright infringements valued at more than 1.25 million baht. The company, listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), is accused of using unlicensed software on at least 68 PCs.
"We are committed to making Thailand a place in which innovators will feel their intellectual property is secure,” said Economic and Technical Crime Suppression Division (ECOTEC) Police Colonel Sarayut Pultunya. “We will continue to raid businesses that break Thailand’s copyright laws.”
Software industry executives commended police officers from ECOTEC for their commitment to tackling the country's high level of software piracy. The software piracy rate in Thailand is 78%.
Tarun Sawney, Director of Anti Piracy in Asia for the Business Software Alliance said, “This is excellent work by the Thai police. Thailand has the potential to be a center of IT innovation, but this potential is presently being stunted by rampant software piracy. The Thai authorities are now showing they take protection of intellectual property rights seriously and are committed to the fight against software piracy."
In addition to raiding the SET-listed company, ECOTEC sent officers to search the premises of five other businesses suspected of using pirated software. This followed a month-long investigation, conducted during a grace period when businesses were made aware of the pending crackdown on software piracy among business users. The pirated software found during the first wave of raids consisted of foreign and local brands and is valued at 4.8 million baht
Police who raided the businesses managed a technical analysis of each computer on the premise.
There is an ongoing investigation into other companies suspected of violating software copyrights.
“The software industry has worked hard to help the business community avoid issues related to copyright infringements,” said Siripat Patrangul, Thailand Spokesperson, Business Software Alliance. “We have hosted seminars about proper management of software assets, we have talked directly to business people and we have worked with Thai officials to create a nationwide campaign to make the stakes clear for the business community. We are here to help, but business leaders need to cooperate in meeting the requirements of Thai copyright laws.”
Although Thailand remains on the US Government's 'Priority Watch List', some progress has been made. The Thai Department of Intellectual property has proactively worked with the business community to communicate software copyright laws and policies. Thai police authorities have also performed numerous raids against businesses accused of violating software copyrights.
"We view fighting software piracy as an important part of growing Thailand’s ability to be a nation of world-class innovators. We are committed to making Thailand a place in which innovators will feel their intellectual property is secure,” said ECOTEC Police Colonel Sarayuth Poltanya. “We will continue to raid businesses that break Thai software copyright laws.”
The international software industry would like to boost local software development by developing Thai innovators and marketing their creations internationally. However piracy stunts the growth of this potentially lucrative market, both domestically and internationally. Among the most frequently pirated software in Thailand is a locally developed Thai-English dictionary product.
Reducing software piracy in Thailand by just ten percentage points over the next four years could generate 2,100 new jobs, over US$1 billion in economic growth, and over US$55 million in tax revenues above current projections, according to a study by the IDC released earlier this year.
The study notes that the information technology (IT) industry is already a major contributor to Thai economy. In 2007, Thailand spent nearly $4 billion or 1.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) on information technology including computers, peripherals, network equipment, packaged software and IT services. That spending supported more than 5,600 IT companies with nearly 40,500 IT industry employees, and helped generate $428 million in IT-related taxes.
Yet the IT sector’s contribution to Thai economy would be even greater if the country’s PC software piracy rate could be lowered by ten percentage points by 2011, the study said. Such an improvement would add highly skilled jobs to the labor force, support the creation of new companies, lower business risks, and fund government services without a tax increase.
Moreover, reducing software piracy has a “multiplier effect.” According to IDC, for every $1 spent on legitimate packaged software, an additional $1.25 is spent on related services from local vendors such as installing the software, training personnel and providing maintenance services.
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