Crackdown on import of fake goods urged during high season

Mala Tangprasert, vice chairwoman of the Private Sector Committee for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, said Thailand should crack down on the import of fake products from neighbouring countries and China as they damage the Kingdom’s image and cause large economic losses.
“Copycat goods including fake brand-name watches, bags, compact discs, DVDs, garments and mobile-phone equipment are easily found during the tourism high season. Foreigners have acknowledged that they can easily find counterfeit goods in Thailand, especially near tourist attractions. The government needs to crack down seriously on fake goods,” she said.
Also, as the United States is a world leader in touting the importance of intellectual property rights (IPR), the recent visit by President Barack Obama should encourage the country to crack down on violations. This problem has long damaged the country’s image and obstructed trade growth with the US because it has put Thailand on its Priority Watch List for many years.
Among the US products that have been highly counterfeited in Thailand are movies in DVD and video-CD formats.
Mala said loose control of the entry of illegal goods from neighbouring countries and China where they are produced was a major contributor to their high availability here.
She said the government should concentrate its crackdown on red and yellow zones for illegal trading, which are tourism spots. In Bangkok, these include MBK, Patpong Night Bazaar, Silom Road, Sukhumvit Road, Panthip, Klong Thom and Ban Mo.