THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Govt urged to get serious about copyright violations

Govt urged to get serious about copyright violations

Thai copyright owners have petitioned the prime minister, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the National Reform Council (NRC) for an urgent crackdown on intellectual-property violations, saying fake goods are still easily traded nationwi

Mala Tangprasert, vice chairperson of the Private Sector Committee for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, said IP violations had reached a "crisis" period, with counterfeit goods bought and sold with ease across the country, while police and government agencies do little to stop it.

She said that although the current military government had a policy to crack down on such violations, action was rarely seen, while some police officers and government officials had been accused of asking for bribes to allow traders to sell their illegal products in many markets.

"The infringements have reached a dangerous point. Thailand could face more serious actions from the United States or other countries over its weak efforts to crack down on IP violations. The prime minister, the NCPO and the NRC, therefore, have been called on to make a serious effort to solve the problem," Mala said.

She said that although the government had set up a national centre to fight copyright violations, it lacked staff, while responsible agencies had not followed up on the centre’s work.

Moreover, the private-sector committee has also called for the NRC to give another agency besides the Royal Thai Police the authority to enforce IP-related laws because the police are too busy with other matters.

Mala said that if no progress is made on cutting down on the sale of counterfeit goods, Thailand could be kept on the United States’ Priority Watch List for high infringement rates.

The US is scheduled to release its annual "Special 301 Report" on copyright issues in April.

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