Phuket businesses being investigated for unlicensed Software
PHUKET: — As part of a nationwide investigation, Phuket businesses are being investigated closely by police for using illegal computer software.
A Gazette source said a ‘high profile’ property investment firm was raided earlier this week.
Police are said to have seized hardware and software, all allegedly unlicensed. The company was given a million baht fine, the source said.
Following news of the raid, a number of Phuket businesses reportedly closed for the day.
Colonel Sarayuth Pooltanya, deputy commander of the Royal Thai Police Economic and Cyber Crimes Division (ECD), said late last month that “all businesses will have to ensure that they are compliant with the Thai Copyright Act.”
“Major efforts” to target companies using pirated software began on October 26, he said.
A list of 1,000 suspect companies nationwide compiled by the ECD has been based on tips, some anonymous. These are typically from sources within the target companies.
Leads are also being shared by the Business Software Alliance, which runs a toll-free hotline and website for informants to report on the use of pirated and unlicensed business software.
In recent months, the ECD has stepped up enforcement of intellectual property rights in respect of software.
August marked one of the ECD’s most successful months, with 15 substantial raids netting 54.5 million baht’s worth of allegedly non-copyright software.
The raided companies came from a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, real estate, automobiles, shipping, design and engineering.
Phuket Gazette IT Manager Seubsak Sahaworaphan said businesses should perform regular checks to make sure employees are not downloading illegal software.
“We use a software checking device called System Hound which is installed in all our computers and has a centralized network control point,” he said.
“The system performs regular checks on all of our computers and makes sure all licenses are up to date,” he said.
It was not reported if or when the probe would be expanded to include computer companies that load up hard drives with illegal software when selling new machines to customers.
Pirate software raid intensified
BANGKOK: — Police are now raiding companies suspected of using unlicensed software in an intensified effort to reduce piracy and support the government’s “Creative Economy” strategy.
“Over the last month we have reviewed 1,000 investigations in which various businesses are accused of software piracy, and now we are conducting raids on many of them,” Pol Colonel Sarayuth Pooltanya of the Economic and Cyber Crime Division (ECD) said yesterday.
In the first raid of this latest enforcement drive, a Chon Buri-based manufacturer of airport trolleys, shopping carts, pallets and other metal products was found using unlicensed design software valued at Bt1.2 million.
Also in the same province, an engineering unit of a global corporation was found with unlicensed design software valued at Bt290,000. This company has assets of more than Bt200 million.
The ECD is gearing up for almost daily raids that should extend through the end of the year.
“Monday was the beginning of what we see as an intense period of enforcing intellectual property rights.”
Police say they will continue to track down copyright violators no matter the size of the alleged infraction.
“The only way we can reduce Thailand’s software piracy rate is by diligently following up on complaints and taking enforcement actions against those companies violating the Copyright Act.
“We are confident that by aiming to reduce software piracy we can make a positive contribution to the progress of Thailand’s Creative Economy strategy,” he said.
The ECD has made a significant impact in reducing the software piracy rate of 76 per cent. In each of the last two years, the software piracy rate has fallen by 2 percentage points, a significant drop compared to the reductions achieved in other countries during the same period.