Report of Thai Press Monitor - coverage of IP-related stories Period Monitored: 15-30 May 2003

 Note:

1. Legal and Judiciary
2. IP in Business
3. Enforcement
4. External Relations

Sources: Krungthep Turakij = Bangkok Business News, along with Manager are the country’s leading business daily newspapers.
Prachachart Turakij and Than-Settakij are two most important bi-weekly newspapers for the Thai private sector. Thai Rath is the country’s mass circulation, while Matichon is a political newspaper.

Remarks:
Highlights of this month are clippings from the EC TBR sound piracy mission.
Mass circulation, general-interest papers such as Thai Rath (tabloid content in broadsheet look) and Matichon are keen on enforcement type stories. Krungthep Turakij, a business daily that is improving in strength as better-quality general interest paper, enthusiastically embraces IP coverage in any of its section—business, general news, or even the features section. The paper is widely read by decision-makers and business leaders in Bangkok while also commanding an increasingly strong following in the provinces.
The same is true for Manager daily. Prachachart Business and Thansettakij which cater specifically to the business segment would run IP stories relevant to the business/economic environment. They also tend to run IP stories from outside Thailand.

A. Legal and Judiciary

• · With massive popularity of ring tone and icon download into mobile phones, IP lawyers from ILCT wrote in the "IT Law" column in Bangkok Business explaining the concept of private use and copyright issues relating to downloading of music, ring tone, icon, wall paper.
• The Business Software Alliance called on Deputy Commerce Minister Wattana Muangsuk to step up campaign against software piracy, to the same intensity that the government is doing for sound piracy. Meanwhile, the BSA said software piracy in Thailand went down to 67% in 2002(from 77% the previous year) against regional average of 54% in which Vietnam is the worst offender at 95%.
• The Provincial Cable TV Operators Association planned to petition the Thai Lawyers Association to consider whether the raid on 13 May of a cable operator in [northeastern] Nakhon Ratchasima by a party of 70 officials and right holder representatives broke the law. According to Association, the raid party seized and damaged cable and broadcast equipment, while the CIPITCourt warrant only authorized them to "seize or impound equipment used in infringements," not damaging it. Complaining that legal cable operator UBC extorts copyright fees for content, the Association signed an agreement with German TV DWK on 20 May and its members are seeking to buy content direct from foreign broadcasters including Star TV, Australian ABC, Chinese CCTV, Japan's NHK. UBC denied that it orchestrated actions against provincial cable TV, saying right holders initiated those series of arrests in various provinces.
• Thailand is actually one of very few countries on earth to be equipped with legislation on public health that guarantees free and equal access to drug - -the goal being sought in TRIPS. But Thailand faces many constraints in putting those laws in use, according to a researcher (BKBIZ27/5/03)

B. IP in Business

• Following high-profile anti-piracy drive, Deputy Commerce Minister Wattana will meet record companies 30 June to urge them to reduce prices to give the public access to copyright goods.
• The government's anti-piracy campaign will boost the growth of copyrighted movie VCDs, a market believed to be worth 4 billion baht, excluding pirate copies. A local right holder CVD Entertainment said in the lead-up to government crackdown, the company received several applications for licence to distribute legal products.
• RS, the country's number two record company, estimates the Thai music industry to grow between 10-15%, though it's too early to tell whether the industry will benefit from the government's campaign as major manufacturers continued production even if pirated goods may be less visible on the streets.
• Pantip Plaza wants to improve its image, as a centre of educational materials to attract family-type visitors who will replace the crowd of youngsters and tourists who go to shop for pirated CDs.
• Patent use rate in Thailand is extremely low -- at 50-60 a year, compared to 1,000 in Taiwan or China and this results in the country being a laggard in any science/technology ranking, according to Dr SaksithTreedej, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Science and Technology Ministry. The Ministry is organizing a workshop for its officials, scientists, innovators and engineers on the benefits and process of seeking a patent during 26-27 June, 2003.
• BIOTEC held a round table discussion on how to commercialise biotech asset. The office has about 300 research works that have commercial potentials, 30 of which have been or about to be patented.
• Amidst the hype about capitalising IP asset, banks should play the role of an incubator -- helping Thai researchers and innovators whose skills are confined to academic works to help put lab works into commercial use, wrote a columnist in Bangkok Business.

C. Enforcement

• . Despite criticism, Deputy Commerce Minister Wattana insisted he is satisfied with the fact that pirate goods have disappeared from key retail centres, with two plants raided over two weeks since the anti-piracy crackdown began 1 May. He ordered inter-agency raid squads to be more effective and right holders to contribute resources to the campaign.
• Trade of pirated CDS in 13 major spots around Bangkok had died down since the anti-piracy campaign began, but traders had made their wares mobile. An anonymous movie right holder said the Thai government fails to arrest large-scale pirates, considering the fact that arrest and seizure statistics remained high from the entire 2002 to the first quarter of this year.
• Responding to the government's crackdown, retailers of pirate CDs,VCDs in [northeastern] Nongkhai province hid their goods in the backyard, or used "direct sales" strategy targeting households, offices and "government offices where civil servants are major clients of pirate products. In [northern] Chiangmai, traders offered home delivery or allowed clients to place order for pick-up later. While retailers in southern Hat Yai said sales plunged by 50% since crackdown, copies were still available. Trading is reportedly brisk in the Malaysian border town of Padang Besar, where shops stock comprehensive repertoire of pirate CDs, VCDs, cassettes by Thai artists. Nearly all buyers there are Thais.

D. External Relations

• Two officials from the European Commission in Bangkok to investigate sound piracy under a TBR complaint urged the Thai government to target enforcement effort on large-scale offenders as well as improving customs procedures to stop the flow of counterfeit goods to Europe. An interview organized jointly by ECAP and EC Delegation Bangkok with a select group of journalists resulted in prominent coverage of the story in the following publications: English-language Bangkok Post, the Nation, Associated Press newswire, Thai language Bangkok Business, Matichon, Than Settakij and Post Today.
• The Russian government declared war against piracy as the country seeks WTO membership. IFPI said Russia is the world's second largest market of music piracy after China, and foreign investors called for improved enforcement of IP right protection. But the government's plan ran into opposition even from its own ranks.
• Than Settakij newspaper ran the Thai version of the Economist special report on global trend of counterfeit goods.
• The local government of Shanghai warned companies to stop unauthorised use of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo logo within the next two weeks. Some companies have commercialised the Shanghai World Expo 2010 logo, slogans in postcards, ad, conferences. The government issued details about its ownership of the logo and how infringement is legal offence.