Bangkok Post: Today's Top Stories

Target Thailand

BangkokPost.com with Agency reports

The United States has escalated the threat to take trade retaliation against Thailand and eight other countries for failure to protect American movies, music and computer software against piracy.

"Thailand will remain on the Priority Watch List in 2008 due to a broad range of concerns surrounding [intellectual property] protection and enforcement," said a report issued on Friday.

Thailand had hoped to be removed from the priority watch list by Washington, which instead recognised improvement in only four nations.

Instead, the US Trade Representative on Friday moved complaints against Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey and Ukraine to the lower-level watch list but effectively increased the threat of eventual pressure and sanctions against Thailand.

The Bush administration put Thailand, China, Russia, Argentina, Chile, India, Israel, Pakistan and Venezuela on the elevated "priority watch list" as special targets for extra scrutiny and possible economic sanctions if Washington decides to pursue complaints before the World Trade Organisation.

The administration named another 31 countries to a lower-level watch list, where Thailand was placed until two years ago, when US officials claimed intellectual property violations in Thailand had grown so bad they warrant the highest level of scrutiny.

The US report was also conciliatory in places. It said it recognised Thai authorities had conducted numerous anti-piracy raids in 2007, and also had just returned to democratic governance after a military coup.

"The United States looks forward to working with the new Thai government to seek resolution of these (piracy) concerns," said the USTR report. "The United States recognises that in 2007, Thai law enforcement officials continued to conduct actions against infringing activity at the retail and distribution levels. Despite these efforts, however, piracy and counterfeiting rates remained high."

In releasing the annual report, which is required by Congress, US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said copyright piracy is "one of the central challenges facing the global economy."

"Pirates and counterfeiters don't just steal ideas, they steal jobs and too often they threaten our health and safety," she said in a statement.

This year's report devoted attention to what it described as the growing problem of counterfeited pharmaceuticals and other products that threaten the health and safety of consumers worldwide.

Stan McCoy, assistant US trade representative for intellectual property, told reporters in a briefing that both China and Russia had made improvements in protecting intellectual property over the past year but that a number of issues remain.

The United States has a WTO case pending against China in which it has accused the country of doing too little to crack down on rampant piracy of American music, movies, computer programs and other products.

Discussions between the United States and Russia over improving copyright protections have been a key sticking point in negotiations over that country's bid to become a member of the WTO, the Geneva-based organization that regulates world trade.

Business groups praised the administration's new report with the Copyright Alliance, a coalition of industry groups, saying stronger efforts were needed to attack global piracy, which it estimated was costing the US economy $58 billion a year and nearly 375,000 lost jobs.

Neil Turkewitz, executive vice president of the Recording Industry Association of America, said the report "has identified some of the most notorious marketplaces for the sale or distribution" of pirated material, including street markets in the Czech Republic, Mexico and Argentina and Internet sites in Russia and China.

Robert Holleyman, president of the Business Software Alliance, claims that piracy remained the software industry's biggest trade barrier, costing nearly $40 billion a year.

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Piracy at $40 billion pa? Makes me wonder what the copyright barriers are costing the rest of us!

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Sunday Morning: Today's Top Stories

Copyright talks

(BangkokPost.com)

Commerce Minister Mingkwan Saengsuwan said on Saturday he will hold talks next week with senior US Trade Representative officials, after the US decided to maintain Thailand on the "priority watch list" of accused copyright violators.

Wiboonluk Ruamruk, deputy director-general of the Commerce Ministry's Intellectual Property Department, said the talks would be held on Monday at Government House.

Mr Mingkwan, who also is deputy prime minister, said the US visitors are likely to discuss a wide range of subjects with Mr Mingkwan, who also is deputy prime minister, including trade and investment policy under a democratic regime.

The US kept the military junta at arm's length, and noted in its statement on Thai IP violations on Friday (Washington time) that "Elections in December 2007 re-established democratic governance in Thailand, and the United States looks forward to working with the new Thai government to seek resolution of these concerns."

USTR representatives also are likely to inquire about foreign business laws which they believe have hindered foreigners - particularly Americans - from doing business in Thailand, Ms Wiboonluk said.

They also are keen to know whether Thailand intends to reopen negotiations for a US-Thailand free trade agreement, an issue stalled more than two years ago. The Samak Sundaravej government has made no policy statement on FTAs.

The Bush administration on Friday accused Thailand and eight other countries, including China and Russia, of failing to protect American intellectual products such as movies, music and computer software in Thai markets.

In its annual report on intellectual property rights protection, the USTR maintained Thailand's status on the watch list in the same category as last year. Extra scrutiny will be given to the nine countries and could lead to economic sanctions if Washington decides to pursue complaints before the World Trade Organisation, a USTR report said.

Formal talks also will take place in June in Thailand between Thai departments and USTR, government officials and private business leaders from the US, Ms Wiboonluk said. (with reports from TNA)