Bribe purpose for government official

Copy right violation is one of the most important issues that Thai government has concern with but this problem is deep-seated in Thai society and the government can’t find the way to solve it appropriately.

Klong Tom is one of the biggest places in Bangkok that sell pirate CD and other copy right violated things or even porn CDs and VDO. Every Thai people or even foreigner who travel and live in Thailand know about it and also know exactly where it is, how they can go, or even how they can choose the good quality CD from fraud purpose.

Klong Tom hold a thousand of shop some shop are sell copy right CD but most of them are not people usually go to shopping between 12.00 – 18.00 pm and especially in Saturday and Sunday it’ll get extra crowded. Seller will sell CD movies around 40 bath, DVD in 75 bath, mp3 CD just only 60 bath, and musical CD is around 70 bath, the price depend on how old of that movies or albums, and one of the most surprise thing is porn CD that have price around 50 bath but most of it price is just only 30 baht.

All of these CD make many damages to the owner of copy right especially actor/actress and singer because their income come from copy right CD which have higher price than pirate CD because they have many process and spend a lot of time and money to become a tangible product but these pirate seller just only copy all of hard working to sell in lower price and take advantage from it and create bad result to the producer that have less income.

“I work so hard, I put all of my effort and my time. I try to do the best job to write song and to sing it, but after my album is launch and I see many listener buy pirate CD instead of by copy right CD it make me sad and discourage me.,” Mr. Yamasatien singer 24 years old said.

Pirate CD sellers are not only one who hurt copy right’s owner, actors and singers, the police are also having part of hurting process too. Klong Tom is very famous in selling pirate CD, it is impossible that polices don’t know about these illegal place but why they did not do anything. They are many reasons but it can divide in to four main types.

First Some police being a spy for money in return, normally government launch purge pirate CD policy and the police will set assembly to specify what exactly time and date to attract and arrest the seller after that they will declare to underling to be prepare but these underling betray their boss by give this important information to pirate CD seller thus they can escape, not to be imprison, seize property and pay fine. All seller loose is just only little amount of money.

Second some police keep bribe from seller. This bribe can be various kinds such as CD, DVD but most of it is money and in return police will not arrest and connivance or even cover their eyes and ears about pirate CD, that seller who pay for them. sell in Klong Tom.
Third some police have agreement with seller to arrest them but they confiscate seller in a little unite. These will happen when police is compelled by their Boss to have worked to show on resume of police station. These police will tell the seller that when inspection will began and seller will sell pirate CD in little amount thus they will loose a little of their property.

Fourth it can continue from the third or not, sometime seller have to imprison before the examination thus police will allow seller to pay some one to stand imprison for them and people who stand in will charge their service between 1,000 bath per night.

All of these four types of action that made by police are bring a lot of damages to police them self copyright owner and also for whole of Thailand. It can imply that Thailand is lack of ability and intension to solve copy right problem and also with Thai officer who care about them self more than country and do illegal thing even tough they duty is to protect the law. Nonethelessม this problem will never end if consumer did not know the worth of copy right.