Government takes tough stand on pirate goods

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Government takes tough stand on pirate goods

Published: 7/05/2009 at 06:11 PM
Online news: Economics

The current crackdown on intellectual property violations will continue, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday, echoing the tough stance of Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot who vowed earlier in the day to conduct raids on sellers of pirate goods every two days.

Mr Alongkorn also pledged to make sure ministry officials display identification before commencing arrests and confiscating goods.

The government's hardening of its stance follows a raid on vendors in Patpong on Wednesday night and a clash which led to 11 people being injured.

Vendors filed a series of police complaints against commerce officials, accusing them of assault, damaging property and abuse of authority.

Mr Alongkorn said the public must view Wednesday night’s incident fairly as officials on the raid also suffered serious injuries.

Mr Abhisit said he would be going over reports of the incident to determine if officials acted inappropriately, which might prompt a revision of raid procedure.

Venders clashed violently with ministry officials in Bangkok’s tourist centre of Patpong. There were reports of gunshots being fired into the air to scare off the officials.

About 200 vendors and 50 commerce officials were involved in the conflict, which erupted after officials raided sellers’ booths to arrest them for intellectual property violations and confiscated their goods.

Officials arrested four sellers and made off with four vans loaded with confiscated counterfeit goods, mostly pirate copies of bags and clothes.

The arrested vendors were taken to Bang Rak police station. They were given bail on Thursday morning. Another vendor under charge was being treated for his wounds at hospital.

Other vendors shortly afterwards marched to Bang Rak police station to file charges against the commerce officials. They accused them of assault and causing damage to property.

Some sellers, covered in blood smears, told reporters they were assaulted by the raiding party. Market vendors continued to file charges with police throughout Thursday.

National police chief Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwan said he instructed the chief of Bangkok police to closely supervise all issues relating to the incident.

Pol Gen Patcharawat said he would examine reports that Central Investigation Bureau police took part in the raid.

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Writer: Bangkokpost.com

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pierre corso

Discussion 7 : 08/05/2009 at 05:36 AM7
We can't make omelette without breaking eggs . It's a good start that the Government took piracy problem more seriously since it has rotten the country for too long time , economically and politically. I just hope the measure 'll be maintained regularly to protect legal and honest business . Those shoppers, who buy fake products consciously for thier cheaper price are also complicit in the crime. If they really respect the country ,they just help restoring the honest system by spending money on legalized and local-made products regardless their brandnames but their real quality. Many foreign tourists keep criticizing Thailand for corruption but they hardly make any effort to help improving
spicysomtam

Discussion 6 : 08/05/2009 at 12:34 AM6
Designer goods are overpriced anyway. Give me a Casio or Seiko watch any day; consistent high quality at a reasonable price. All those designer watches are a rip off; anyone who buys them is an idiot for fashion to buy them.

Now Thailand does churn out alot of good fashion for not much money; highly commendable in my opinion. Thus you Thais churning out this; keep up the good work (and if it looks like an expensive brand then thats good :) ).
charlie

Discussion 5 : 08/05/2009 at 12:33 AM5
Patpong vendors are the harshest group of people you ll meet in Bangkok .They are mafia thugs to put it mildly .Ive heard them swear at tourists and punch people out if they couldnt agree on a price .The shooting of guns to scare off officials sounds about right .Patpongs was an eyesore years ago unless you want severely over priced copy goods that are the lowest of quality .God clean it up Why dont you try to make it like Suan Luang night bazaar .You know the one they want to tear down .Ill take that night bazzar over the mafia run back alley known as patpong anyday
John in BKK

Discussion 4 : 07/05/2009 at 11:54 PM4
It's all for show. In the end, it'll quite down, with the vendors finding bribes are more effective/simpler than filing charges.
PH.D

Discussion 3 : 07/05/2009 at 11:46 PM3
Thailand, the No. 1 COPY country in the world. Bangkok; better take a trip to the shops and beaches in Pattaya. If you try to relax in a sun bed, you have one copy vendor bothering you etch minute.If rumors that the police come, you see a few hundreds on the run. The police likes copy Rolex,and what do they do, if they confiscate 2000 a day? The sell them back to the vendors, and for 50%, the vendors purchase price. How blue eyed can the so name PM and his team be in a country where foreigners also states that all this tens of thousands of bar ladies also are "copy ladies." For the PM and his them: How many 10'ns of thousands jobs would be on stake, if this became a REAL HUNTING?
Somboon

Discussion 2 : 07/05/2009 at 10:11 PM2
I am not in favor of piracy, but it will not go away ever.

In term of USdollars, the US is #1 in piracy, followed by either Russia and China as #2 and #3. Canada is in the top 10 also. But where do you read, hear, or see the US bullying the Russians, Chinese, or Canadians?

The US cannot and will not bully the Chinese because they are the US #1 trading partner. The Russians are too big and will not allow themselves to be bullied by the US. So goes with the Canandians.

You go to Pantip Plaza and see who the shoppers are. You will see a lot and a lot of foreigners shopping for the pirated goods because they are cheaper than the pirated goods in their own countries. Tourists/visitors they talk on internet. They asked about the pirated goods in Thailand. There is a big demand in Thailand (Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. will follow) due to cheap labor and materials to produce them. Other issue is: what are the Thais going to do if they cannot sell their goods? What are other sources of incomes available to them? A DVD costs $30.00 and a CD costs $20.00, how many people in Thailand can afford that. It is a week or month salary!

You can walk on the streets of Los Angeles and you will find pirated goods. You can walk on the streets of Manhattan, New York, and you will find fake Gucci, etc. We have seen them.

Until the wages of all people of the world are more equally, the piracy will continue. The poor cannot support the lifestyles of the Rich/Elite!
NK

Discussion 1 : 07/05/2009 at 08:46 PM1
Those vendors didn't pay their due for the month. We all know the truth. They will be back out and selling again. Thailand doesn't really police counterfeit products. It is just to show off little power they have. Violent like this will prevent "Farang" from visiting Pat Pong area.

Government takes tough stand on pirate goods