About 30 sellers were preparing to file extortion charges on Thursday against "copyright agents" who ordered Krathong floats from them, insisting they feature rights-protected cartoon characters, and later demanded large fines.
Krathong makers from several northeastern provinces gathered at Muang Nakhon Ratchasima police station in Muang district of Nakhon Ratchasima to file their complaints.
They were being assisted by counsel from the Lawyers Council.
Their action followed news reports that two people who claimed to be copyright agents had lured a 15-year-old girl in Nakhon Ratchasima into making floats they insisted must feature copyrighted cartoon characters ahead of the Loy Krathong festival this weekend, ordering them from her online.
The girl was arrested when she delivered the krathongs. The "copyright agents" demanded she pay a fine of 50,000 baht, later negotiated down to 5,000 baht. A representative of the Japanese copyright-holding company later said no such legal action had been ordered or approved.
Lawyer Pornthep Charoenpong-anant said on Thursday the young teen filed her extortion complaint on Wednesday. Other float makers who had evidence to back their claims could file similar complaints with police right away.
By Thursday afternoon, 36 people had filed their complaints, indicating they paid more than 700,000 baht to the so-called copyright agents, he said.
Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Weerachai Songmetta said investigation had been launched to find out if any police officers had been involved. If so, they would face serious action, he said.
His secretary Thanakrit Jit-areerat said that if the rights owners did not make such assignments, those who demanded fines from the krathong makers would be prosecuted for extortion.