Govt steps up piracy fight in Thailand

The government has vowed to continue its effort to solve the problem of intellectual properties infringement in Thailand, says the government spokesman.

Government spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha was satisfied with the fact that none market in Thailand was listed on the United States Trade Representative's (USTR) latest Notorious Markets List, which highlights piracy and counterfeit goods.

The Prime Minister said the improvement shows Thailand has made progress in copyrights protection and the implementation of anti-piracy law. This helped create a positive environment for investment in keeping with the government's goal to push forward national development from innovations and intellectual properties.

Gen Prayut also thanked all related agencies for their contribution to this success, while invited Thai people to stop selling, buying, or using counterfeited goods, and be aware of the importance of intellectual properties.

A total of 13 markets or commercial areas in Thailand were listed on the USTR's list during 2007-2017. Meanwhile, the government had from January - September 2017 made 700 arrests and confiscated 150,000 counterfeited product items.