Majority of Bangkokians buy counterfeit products

The majority, 79.9 per cent of 1,104 respondents aged 18 or above, said most of the items, 40 per cent, were movie and song CDs, VCDs and DVDs. Following were fashion goods like handbags, shoes, glasses and wrist watches.

The respondents cited price as the most important reason that drove them to buy or rent such items. Forty-eight per cent admitted that they felt guilty for doing so while the rest did not. The minority of respondents who said they never knowingly bought counterfeit goods was because of the goods' poor quality and also concerns about legal issues.

"Forty per cent of respondents said piracy was widespread in Thailand due to the high cost of copyrighted items, while 19.6 per cent singled out state officials' negligence and conflicts of interest. Meanwhile, most of them, 95.4 per cent, agreed that Thailand should be active in tackling copyright problems, and most suggested cuts in the prices of copyrighted items as well as more stringent punishment," said Anraya Singsangob, dean of the university's law faculty.

She said the problem was driven mainly by the lack of government campaigns to raise awareness about the value of creativity. The government also needs to be more active in educating the public about the problem, she said, as many people violate the law without knowing it.