November 14 2003

Pantip Plaza: Microsoft Office for $3

By picking up some pirate software, the unscrupulous computer boffin could enjoy a free holiday in Thailand. Let's look at a dream software setup and get it priced:

Software	US Price	Thai Price
Microsoft Office Pro	$499	$3
Adobe Creative Suite	$1,229	$3
Macromedia Studio	$999	$3
Norton Systemworks	$100	$3
Total	$2,827	$12

Our misbehaving tech-head could save himself $2,815. That would pay for a lot of fun in the sun. Obviously, we all feel sympathy for the billionaire victims of this perfect crime but read on to discover how the perpetrators get away with it.

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Pantip Plaza

Bangkok is the centre of the illicit trade in copied software and Pantip Plaza on Petchburi Road is the best known outlet. It is also the leading market place for the legitimate computer trade, with hundreds of shops ranging from one-man stalls to western-style superstores. Pantip Plaza is a 10 minute walk from Ratchathewi Skytrain station and is also well known to taxi drivers.

Pirate software is sold from dozens of small stalls. Hundreds of CD covers are displayed in plastic folders. The purchaser makes his selection, hands over $3 per CD (120 to 140 baht) and is given a slip of paper bearing the catalogue numbers. The stallholder phones a runner who picks up the goods from a secret location and delivers them within 15 minutes.

Periodic police enforcement of intellectual property rights means that the traders sometimes have to be discreet. The fact that dodgy software isn't displayed doesn't mean that it isn't on sale. A small shop with shelves full of crap software will invariably sell the good stuff under the counter.

Though the most famous, Pantip Plaza isn't the only place for computer shopping in Bangkok. Fortune Town on Ratchadapisek Road sells the same stuff but it isn't as crowded. The computer section is on the fourth floor. With no Skytrain station nearby, it's best to go there by taxi. Most drivers know it as Yoahan. A Japanese department store of that name once occupied the building.

Hollywood Street IT Centre is next door to Pantip Plaza. At 100 baht per CD, it's definitely the cheapest place in town for dodgy software. Unfortunately, it's also 75% vacant - the sort of building that might "accidentally" burn down just before the fire insurance runs out. Enter at your own risk.

The availability of copy software in Thailand is largely down to economic necessity. It would cost a young graphic designer about 6 month's salary to buy a legitimate version of Adobe Creative Suite. He can buy a pirate version for little more than the cost of lunch. Unless the software companies reduce their prices to levels that ordinary Thais can afford, the illegal trade looks set to continue.

Important notice

This factual report is for entertainment purposes only. Please don't email me to send you software. I won't do it and I don't know anyone who will. Trading in stolen intellectual property is illegal and the penalties can be severe.

[Posted to Thai Secrets by David]

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