Lamock Chokaprret Posted January 23, 2002 Report Share Posted January 23, 2002 In a link from todays BKK Post (Crackdown on Software Piracy): quote: It will be its first action following its three-month ``Truce Campaign'', which encouraged organisations using illegal software to move to legal programs. According to BSA enforcement regional manager Tarun Sawney, the alliance has a list of companies it suspects are using illegal software and will target these. Although the exact number on the list has not been disclosed, he says there are a number under investigation... BSA reported that last year some 36 software copyright violation cases were brought before the courts. Here's to the BSA for stringent enforcement of copyright protections. Also in today's BKK Post, William Lash (US Asst Sec of Commerce) said (full story at: Secretary Lash on Piracy): quote: The current administration have taken some positive steps, but nonetheless you can simply stroll down to Panthip Plaza and see that piracy is not only alive and well in Thailand, but that it's practically booming... This may be the first time I've seen Panthip Plaza mentioned in print. Thailand is a long way from being able to afford to do away with software piracy. Given that software is used in companies to save on labor, with labor being so cheap it makes it hard to justify payback on software products at their current market prices. Piracy will only go away when intellectual property owners realize that their products need to be priced to the market they are trying to penetrate. The 36 companies that made it to court last year are but a drop in the bucket. [ January 23, 2002: Message edited by: Lamock Chokaprret ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2002 Report Share Posted January 23, 2002 Post deleted by DoxyBlue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2002 Report Share Posted January 23, 2002 Just to confirm that some kind of crackdown at least is for real. I was following some computer courses, learning Visual Basic. Last week I got a phonecall before a scheduled lesson, telling me there was no need to show up for the moment, until some issure with licencing was settled. That being said, my sympathy is not with the big software companies. Considering the amount they are charging (often more than in U.S.), they make their software inaccessible for many users. They could look at the example of some game developers. At least you can buy Thai-version of a lot of games at a cheap price at some shops of Pantip Plaza. Since I noticed that, I have not bothered anymore looking at all the pirated game stuff, and pay for the licenced stuff. If the big boys would follow this example (not unique ; a lot of books for example are also sold at 'Asian' prices), they should lower their prices by about 75% (and still make a profit on it) As I repeat, I have no sympathy for these big software companies, just like I have no sympathy for the drug firms, that until lately tried to sell their stuff at exorbitant prices in the third world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiledCowboy Posted January 24, 2002 Report Share Posted January 24, 2002 Utter hogwash! Pure & simple! Let's raise the corporate flag and salute it! And we know whose flag that is! Of course it has nothing whatsoever to do with Microsoft exercising its rather large corporate muscle on overseas governments like Thailand who, let's face it, think the gravy train has arrived. Anyway, nice-paying jobs are on offer after the political career evaporates. Windows XP Pro full is over $1000 in Australia. You must be kidding, or a dribbling fool to think that that is value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racha Posted January 24, 2002 Report Share Posted January 24, 2002 quote: Originally posted by SoiledCowboy: Windows XP Pro full is over $1000 in Australia. You must be kidding, or a dribbling fool to think that that is value. Wow $1000 bucks Australian ,and i was complaining that i had to spend 450 baht while upgrading to windows XP as i was prompted to put in the Windows office 2000 CD number one witch i never had so i had to go out and purchase it. Windows office 2000 comes with 3 CD's and they would not split it, so being in a hurry to install XP i agreed and by the way he came back with 3 CD's all individually wrapped, LOL Now i feel better hearing the Aussy price, Racha, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2002 Report Share Posted January 24, 2002 Post deleted by DoxyBlue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2002 Report Share Posted January 24, 2002 The thing that annoys me is the attitude of the majority of thais towards software and other intelectual copyright piracy. This attitude goes all the way to the top. An example Toxic Sinalot was quoted in the Bangkok Post a few months back as saying something like this:- "Suriyothai is a Thai film and I don't want to see any pirated copies available on Silom Road". By implication he condoned the pirating of "Farang" movies. Sure enough my brother in law offered a copy on DVD of "Harry Potter" last week, not even over it's initial release excitement and to be had for 100 baht!!!! The openess with which such copies are traded just confirms what a bunch of scofflaws the Thais are. Ridley Scott was said to be apoplectic with rage when, during scouting for a forthcoming movie in Bangkok recently, one of his assistants found 4 of his titles available one of which (Thelma and Louise) was never even sanctioned for release here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiledCowboy Posted January 24, 2002 Report Share Posted January 24, 2002 Where does protecting intellectual property start and sheer and utter corporate greed and market manipulation end? Of course big corporations can do no wrong - they always do the right thing (excepting Enron, K-Mart et al this week, as well as countless other companies this week too in Australia!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamock Chokaprret Posted January 24, 2002 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2002 From DB_SED_ALOHA: quote: Such pricing results in a net loss per unit and is wrong. It amount to dumping, selling below cost to steal market share, which is the bane of every industrialized economy. Just because the goods are going down-market doesn't make it right. I wasn't suggesting they sell it at a loss. But recognize that the profit potential can be increased by selling in volume at a lower net profit or to cover some of your fixed costs. This is a standard pricing method. quote: Moreover, it shifts part of the cost of production back onto the company and in the end is paid for by consumers in developed markets. The argument that "it's okay because Microsoft, et al. make too much money already" would be specious and do nothing to prevent pass through. That is not the point I was trying to make at all. But the need to recognize and support a developing economy benefits in the long run by increasing the marketability of your product over time. quote: If a business wants anything they should be prepared to pay fair market value for it. If it's really a luxury item to them, they should do without. If it's mission critical, then the costs must be passed on to their customer. That's how business works. Most enterprise software does not simply replace labor and its costs. For most applications, software is no more replacable to a business than a fuel injector in a car could be replaced by a hand-pump. We're no longer in the days where you could equate the cost of a spreadsheet program with the cost of a clerk working longhand on paper. The kind of software we're talking about here is much more than a simple thing like an intenret client or gaming application. It's big-ticket stuff like Oracle applications, WinNT, etc. It's time for the chumps who use pirated stuff to pay up and time for the producers to go to prison. I would have to agree that much software has become mission critical and would be extremely difficult to do without and remain competitive. However, paying the extreme prices asked for by MS for some of their products would eliminate competitiveness as well. My company just put together a SW quote for a company on some of the real stuff. Guess they planned to go legit. Anyway, the quote came to over 2.5 mil baht! Hope that wasn't more than the capitalization of their company. [ January 24, 2002: Message edited by: Lamock Chokaprret ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2002 Report Share Posted January 24, 2002 Post deleted by DoxyBlue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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