Bt10m worth products seized in MBK, Indra Square raid By Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai The Nation
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) seized 23,000 pieces of counterfeit iPhones, iPads, cellphones and brand-name clothes worth Bt10 million from five shops in Bangkok's Indra Square and MBK Centre, senior officials said yesterday.
DSI chief Tharit Pengdit and Pol Colonel Pravesana Mulpramook, director of the DSI Intellectual Property Crime Bureau, said yesterday that initial investigation showed the five shops, all called Zirtel, were owned by a private firm. DSI was checking to see if a politician or influential figure might be involved. The company's board members will face charges and most of them have already contacted DSI to surrender.
As for owners of the retail space, the DSI has warned them that if violators of the intellectual property law were arrested on their premises again, the landlords would also face legal action. The shop managers were initially charged with selling counterfeit products carrying patented trademarks and would be sent along with evidence to police.
Mala Tangprasert from the private sector's committee for intellectual property prevention and suppression said the company in question was part of a major network importing counterfeit products and caused the government to lose income from related taxes and caused consumers harm from using bad-quality products.
-- Edited by Roaming reporter on Thursday 13th of January 2011 11:50:15 AM
Be interesting to scrutinize the busting authorities' computers and households. I'd bet dollars to donuts they all have pirated stuff in their homes ....software in their computers, DVDs, etc.
Fact is, we all have pirated stuff around the house. I'm not justifying it, but it's just the way things are. And yes, it can get overdone, and there are inherent problems. Pirated software often has malware, pirated DVD's are often poor quality (I've got a Johnny Depp DVD which spells his name on the cover; 'Johnny Deep').
I also produce copyrighted material: several books, some music, and an audio book, - so am concerned about piracy from the other end of the trough. I'm not big selling author, but even the little guys (like me) don't want their material copied and sold cheap - particularly if the copies are poor quality.
The other side of the coin are the stratopheric residuals paid to entertainment stars - some making tens of millions per year. For most people, there perhaps no such thing as 'too rich' but come on, a million dollars per 1 hour episode for acting in a sit-com!? It's factoids like that which make it ok, in my view, for impoverished folks to get some entertaining DVD for $1 instead of $15
