PIRACY - EVERYBODY'S DOING IT

Software and music piracy is everywhere in Bangkok. It's actually hard to find a legal copy of, for example, Adobe Photoshop, and it's no surprise that recently published figures show that 80 per cent of business software in Thailand is illegal.
The problem, as I see it, is down to cost. It costs a Bangkok business the same as a business in New York to get a licensed copy of the same piece of software. The vastly different costs of living and doing business just don't seem to matter. Whilst it's acceptable for a US company to pay US$500 for a licensed version of Photoshop, that cost to a Thai business is much, much more in real terms. That could be equivilent to two or three months salary for one employee. US$500 or 100 baht (less than US$3) - what would you choose?
I'm not justifying piracy and theft in any way, but it's an indemic part of Thai society. You can walk into any market and get a copy of practically any CD, DVD or piece of software you want. And everyone's doing it, as you can see from this photo of two Bangkok Metropolitan Police officers who were taking a look at what was available last weekend. I think intellectual property theft was the last thing on their minds.