Thailand cracks down on software piracy

Thailand's intellectual property court has delivered a landmark verdict in the war against software piracy, by handing down an 18 month prison sentence to the owner of a Bangkok shop selling counterfeit CD Roms.

Yothin Krutpong won the dubious honour of being the first Thai software pirate to be put behind bars. In addition to the 18 month unconditional sentence, he was fined over £14,000 for selling over 350 counterfeit CD Roms at his store, located in a downtown computer mall in Bangkok.

The decision drops a bomb on an illicit business sector that has grown increasingly bold in recent years, despite rising fines and sustained efforts to educate the public away from counterfeit products.

Microsoft's Thailand marketing manager, Herbert Vongpusanachai, said the sentence shows the country is serious about protecting intellectual property. "It will reassure software investors like Microsoft," he claimed.

But in a country where piracy still runs at over 80 per cent, many Thais remain sympathetic to the pirates. They claim the counterfeiters charge fairer prices in the context of Thailand's economy and in light of the recession that the country has experienced over the past two years. "I wouldn't mind sending [Krutpong] a letter of support while he's in prison," commented one local observer, who asked not to be named.

Part of the problem is that most dealers display only empty CD cases, delivering the actual product only when a customer places a firm order. "We can only make an arrest when a real CD is handed over," explained an officer with Bangkok's Economic Crime Suppression Division.

Even so, the jailing of Krutpong does mark a significant escalation in the campaign against piracy, though it likely to little more than the first round in a long and drawn-out war.