Police raid local US firm over software claims

At least 37 of the company's PCs were suspected of containing unlicensed software, with a total value of Bt411,600.

The Thai Software Dictionary is the product of Thai Software Enterprise, a local software development company and member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA). The authorised version is available for between Bt180 and Bt1,284.

 "This company has violated Thailand's intellectual property laws, undermining the country's IT sector and economy," said Pol Colonel Sarayuth Pooltanya, deputy commander of the Economic and Technical Crimes Suppression Division.

"This case highlights the benefits of software asset management and the importance for executives of knowing exactly what kind of software their people are using," said Tarun Sawney, BSA director of Anti-Piracy, Asia. "Senior management needs to make sure that their employees understand that it is wrong and illegal to use unlicensed software."

"Use of unlicensed software by corporate end-users causes economic damage to the IT industry and the economy as a whole," said BSA Thailand spokesperson Siripat Patrangul. "We encourage companies to ensure they use only legal and licensed software in order to avoid enforcement action and business interruption."

To complement the enforcement programme of the police, the BSA operates a toll-free anti-piracy hotline number 1-800 291 005 or (02) 711 6193 (non-toll free) for reports on the use of pirated or unlicensed software in organisations.

The BSA provides a reward of up to Bt250,000 for any information that results in successful enforcement action. The identity of callers is kept strictly private and confidential.

Since January, enforcement action against corporate end-user software piracy has spiked, with more than 20 major companies raided for copyright infringement.

In April, the Department of Intellectual Property launched a National Software Intellectual Property Rights Campaign, in cooperation with the BSA, to create further awareness of software copyright issues. The police are supporting the campaign through law enforcement against users of illegal software.