The makers of the latest installment of "The Fast and the Furious" blockbuster film franchise have sought national police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang's help after a link to a pirated version was shared on the social media.
Representatives of the producers of "Fast and Furious 7" said the free movie download link violated movie copyright and caused tens of millions of baht in damage for the makers and cinema operators. They asked Pol Gen Somyot to prosecute the offenders and take measures to prevent a repeat of the problem.
The representatives were Chokchai Chayawatto, secretary-general of the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Association, Umasiri Taron, deputy director of the Association of American Film Producers, and Wicha Poolvoraluks, chairman of Major Cineplex Group, the country's largest cinema operator.
Mrs Umasiri said the link was shared on social media and applications only five days after the movie was released to its first day in Thai cinemas on April 1. The violation resulted in 10% to 20% in lost revenue. The blockbuster movie was expected to generate more than 400 million baht, given that it had received great feedback from audiences in its first two weeks.
She said a website which shared the pirated link received more than 100,000 views, meaning tens of millions of baht in lost revenue from ticket sales.
She appealed to internet users and the social media to stop sharing the link and advise their friends to do the same as it was illegal and they could face prosecution.
Sharing the link on social media and smart phones had created more damage than conventional piracy such as selling pirated movie CDs as the download was quick and convenient. This was especially so for "Fast and Furious 7" because of its high quality image and sound, she said.
Mr Chokchai said the pirated film currently circulating on the social network was originally videotaped in a cinema in South Africa and later dubbed into Thai. The Thai dubbing was carried out at an unknown cinema in Thailand.
A Thai romantic comedy movie hit from GTH, "I Fine, Thank You, Love You", also faced the same problem when it was shown in cinemas in December, he said.