briefs

 
The Royal Thai Police are closely monitoring the resale of unlicensed software at information-technology malls across the country as the practice is claimed to be costing millions of baht and harming Thailand’s international reputation. Police believe thousands of consumers are paying as little as Bt200-Bt500 for pirated software illegally loaded at the point of purchase.
The national police force’s Economic and Cyber Crime Division (ECD) has launched a campaign to halt the practice and hundreds of IT suppliers are under the spotlight.
The advent in 2015 of the Asean Economic Community will put Thailand under immense pressure to eradicate intellectual-property crime, and the ECD is committed to making the country free of software piracy, said Pol Colonel Chainarong Charoenchainao, deputy commander and spokesman of the division.
 
Seat maker sees gains
Chai Watana Tannery Group, a leading maker of leather car seats, expects to post about Bt170 million in combined extraordinary earnings derived from foreign adjustment and land sales. Meanwhile, the company’s gross margin growth is expected at 20 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent from last year, sending its total revenue to Bt1.6 billion, said managing director Weerapon Chaiteerath.
He predicted that the auto market would recover this year, buoyed by a wide range of new models and government measures.
Total automobile sales this year are expected at 1.1 million units, surging 40 per cent from last year.
“Therefore, demand for car seats made of both leather and fabric will be growing,” he
said, adding that the company targeted this year’s sale growth at 40-50 per cent to Bt1.2
billion.