The Commerce Ministry warns people to be aware of the new Copyright Act

A warning has come from the Commerce Ministry urging people to become familiar with the details of a new Copyright Act before they think about sharing information online or selling second hand goods on the net. The new law will take effect from August the 4th and according to Apiradi Tantraporn, the Deputy Commerce Minister it will have eight main features. The first aspect of the bill looks at internet plagiarism in order to protect the creators of content published online. Any information sharing must include credit to the creator of the content or its copyright. Another key aspect is to punish those who break passwords and use information without permission. The law will prevent improper use of original content for commercial purposes and violators of the law will face fines and jail time. The copyright act will allow service providers to discard online content if it violates the new rules. In terms of selling second hand products online the court has the full authority to seize and destroy illegal products as well as having the right to call for compensation from violators of up to twice the value of the illegal goods. Apiradi has asked anybody trading online to be aware of content of the new Copyright Act in order to avoid penalties and expects a reduction in copyright violations once the law comes into play. According to the Intellectual Property Department, the law determines that individual wrongdoers will face fines of Bt10,000-Bt100,000, but if the illegal act was for commercial purposes, they could face a jail sentences of three months to two years and fines of Bt50,000-Bt400,000, or both

Stay updated with Samui Times by following us on Facebook.