INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THEFT
KING-OUA LAOHONG
China has achieved notoriety for being the world's largest producer of pirated goods - DVDs, CDs and designer-label belts, necklaces, handbags, purses and clothes.
They cost less than the genuine articles and are in big demand around the globe, and many are readily available in Thailand.
Most come from factories in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Sichuan, but the business is widespread.
Low labour costs in China are a major factor making it possible for these factories to keep churning out low-cost pirated products - along with a total disregard for payments required under international copyright and trademarks.
Jakkrakhom Liewmanomont, an officer with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) intellectual property office, said there were previously many factories producing counterfeit goods in Thailand, but the production base had shifted to China, South Korea and Taiwan a decade ago.
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| Some of the counterfeit brandname products Department of Special Investigation officers seized from shops on Surawong road in Bang Rak district last month. |
He said smugglers are becoming more sophisticated in the ways they bring in contraband items. Fake designer handbags such as Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton are among the most popular items.
They often clear customs by telling officials the goods are being brought home as gifts for relatives. Many items arrive in shipping containers, mixed with consignments of legal imports and are smuggled in through the Laem Chabang port.
The goods are distributed along roads using tour buses running on southern and northern routes.
Pol Capt Polsant Therdsa-nguan, an investigator at the DSI's intellectual property office, said there are closely-knit networks of both small- and large-scale merchants of these pirated products, making it difficult for police to arrest them.
"Smaller retailers have outlets in Soi Tawana in Bang Kapi, Siam Square and in Soi Lalai Sap off Silom road but large dealers have their outlets in areas popular with foreign tourists, such as Surawong road, Bang Rak, Patpong, Sukhumvit and Soi Nana," he said.
Pirated products are also readily available in major tourist cities such as Hat Yai, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya.
In some areas police are criticised for being lax in enforcing the law against counterfeit products, with traders doing brisk business right under their noses.
Mr Jakkrakhom said police rely on informers to track down and then raid dealers of pirated goods.
"Police cannot do anything without information to act on," he said.
But the traders always alert each other to a crackdown and they often vanish into thin air before police arrive.
However, on Aug 19 police seized counterfeit goods worth more than 50 million baht in a raid on shops on Surawong road in Bang Rak district.
Pol Col Narat Sawettanant, chief of the DSI's intellectual property office, said this was the biggest seizure ever by the DSI.
But even though their shops were closed by police, the traders always somehow manage to open new shops elsewhere.
"They will be around as long as they can make a fortune selling pirated goods," Pol Col Narat said.
The trademark law needs to be toughened, he said. The maximum penalty for counterfeiting copyrighted trademarks is four years in jail and/or a fine of 400,000 baht.
"They think it's worth the risk given the handsome profit they make. At the same time, many people condone the sale of counterfeit goods and are ready to pay for them.
"That's why few people willingly come forward to tip off the police."
Pol Col Narat said police must step up their efforts against the illegal trade because foreign countries are demanding their intellectual property rights be protected.
The benefits which Thailand receives under the Generalised System of Preferences could be affected if Thai authorities fail to tackle the piracy problem seriously.
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