ECD nets 59 firms using pirate software

Among these companies are some of the largest software piracy raids on record, the ECD announced in its press statement.

ECD police raided a distributor of a well-known smartphone with Thai and Chinese shareholders in Bangkok for using suspected unlicensed and illegal software on 98 PCs. including PCs in the finance and HR departments, which puts sensitive data at risk, the statement said.

ECD police also raided a manufacturer of glass bottles for food and beverages, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products in Chachengsao Province and found unlicensed and illegal software installed on 52 PCs, the infringement value for both of these raids is more than Bt10 million.

ECD has stepped up efforts to educate and crackdown on corporate end-users of illegal software following the recent statements of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, saying the need to end piracy and counterfeiting in Thailand,.

Companies that are the victims of cybercrime or cyber intrusions are also often using illegal software themselves, the statement said.

“Companies that report cybercrime are also often breaking the law by using illegal software; so it’s really important that companies manage their software carefully using proper procedures,” said ECD Deputy Commander, Pol Col Dr Kittisak Plathong.

“As the Prime Minister said, ‘Not buying, using or selling pirated items is the correct approach to this problem,’ and we are focused on doing our part to end the use of pirated software among businesses and to stop the retail sale of illegal software.” 

ECD recently supported the introduction of “Safe Software, Safe Nation” a national campaign designed to educate the business community and general public about the risks associated with pirated software, including extremely high rates of malware infection. The Department of Intellectual Property and the Association of Thai Software Industry also support this campaign.  

“The stakes of using illegal software are now very high for the business community,” Kittisak said. “Business organizations using illegal and unlicensed software are acting without responsibility by putting their trade partners and employees at risk. The senior management must get control of their software assets.  They need to ensure their business is using only legal software.”