INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Law ramps up copyright fines
5/08/2015
Phusadee Arunmas
Authorities are warning netizens to think carefully before sharing information online as they may violate copyright laws and face severe punishment under the amended Copyright Act.
The law, which took effect Tuesday, replaces the original one which was in use for 21 years and needed amendments to better protect copyright holders, the Department of Intellectual Property director-general Malee Choklumlerd said. Violators of the law, if found guilty by the court, must pay up to two times the damage value, Ms Malee said.
The law is aimed at protecting copyright holders and the technology designed to protect the copyright, for example music which is encrypted with codes, or pictures where the copyright is protected by a watermark.
Violators of technological copyright protection such as hackers who forcibly gain access to copyrighted content or those who delete a picture's watermark for their own benefit could face 10,000-100,000 baht in fines. If the technology violation has commercial purposes, the penalty will rise to 50,000-400,000 baht. They also face a term in prison of three months to two years.