THAILAND"S ANTI-PIRACY EFFORTS WORKING

       Thailand's efforts to curb illicit copying of PC software have begun to bear fruit, with piracy rates falling for two straight years, but it remains high compared with the rest of the region and more needs to be done, the Business Software Alliance's chief said earlier this week."The reductions in the software piracy rate demonstrate how the government is serious about protecting intellectual property rights for software developers and reducing PC software piracy," Robert Holleyman, president and CEO of the BSA, said on his visit.
       The software piracy rate here is 76 per cent after falling two percentage points in both 2007 and 2008.
       A strong anti-software piracy effort through the first half of this year indicates the possibility of further reductions in the current software piracy rate.
       Holleyman held meetings with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and government officials during his visit.
       "Software piracy remains a big challenge for the software industry and it is a worldwide problem that needs to be addressed through public and private collaboration.
       "We are encouraged to see that the Thai government has taken a series of steps to bring down software piracy and encouraging progress has been made," he said.
       While BSA's focus has been on corporate end-user piracy, BSA suggests greater efforts be made to end open retail trade of pirated PC software in IT malls.
       This would work to enhance Thailand's image in the eyes of international trade groups and governments, he said.
       Local software industry leaders said Holleyman's visit was a boost to the country's software development environment, and will help draw attention to Thailand as a country with a supportive environment for creators of intellectual property.
       "Holleyman's visit confirms that Thailand is on the right track with regard to software IP protection," said Somporn Maneeratanakul, managing director of Thai Software Enterprise and a BSA member.
       The success in stamping out fake software "gives confidence to creators and entrepreneurs in Thailand and around the world to see Thailand as a place that is good for innovation," he said.
       In recent weeks, Thailand's efforts to reduce PC software piracy have gained momentum through active police enforcement and court victories versus software pirates.
       In August, police had one of their strongest months on record, with 15 raids against companies that violated the Copyright Act.
       In July, software developers won a second case in civil court, gaining Bt1.8 million in damages for violation of their intellectual property rights.
       According to a study conducted by IDC, reducing software piracy in Thailand by just 10 percentage points over the next four years could generate 2,100 new jobs, more than US$1 billion (Bt33.78 billion) in economic growth and more than $55 million in tax revenue above current projections.