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ECONOMIC
CONTRIBUTIONS OF
THAILAND’S CREATIVE
INDUSTRIES
Final Report
Kenan Institute Asia
Fiscal Policy Institute
December 2009
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Thai government has promoted the concept of the “Creative Economy” as critical
to Thailand‟s development. This is seen in the draft of the 11th National Development Plan
and in the nine government programs for developing creative industries that are included in
the second stimulus package (Thai Kem Kang: Strong Thai). The objective of this focus on
the creative economy is to establish Thailand as the creative industrial hub of ASEAN and to
increase the share of GDP contributed by creativity from 12% to 20% by the end of 2012.
Thailand‟s emphasis on the creative economy is not unique. Countries such as the United
Kingdom, Singapore, China and India have launched policies to support creativity and
intellectual capital.
In this report, the Fiscal Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and the Kenan Institute Asia
(K.I.Asia) seek to provide a clearer understanding of the creative industries in Thailand and
their contribution, both present and potential, to the overall economy. The report quantifies
that contribution through an analysis of the input-output (I-O) tables for the selected
industries, outlines the value chains for each of these industries, provides comparative data on
creative industries in other countries, assesses the impact of violations of intellectual property
rights and offers some initial recommendations for government policy measures to help the
government achieve its stated objective of developing a creative economy.
Since there is no single definition of creative industries that is universally accepted,
we have applied the UK‟s DCMS definition of creative industries as „those requiring
creativity, skill, and talent, with potential for wealth and job creation through the exploitation
of their intellectual property‟. We have included science and research and development
(R&D) in our definition of creative industries as there are major economic gains to be derived
from intellectual property stemming from scientific research and increased cooperation
between science and industry. Finally, since our analysis is based on an I-O table, the choices
of sectors were made consistent with our definition, the classification of the sectors in the I-O
table and the availability of data. Accordingly, the creative industries selected for this study
are shown below.
It is understood, however, that these selected industries account for only a portion of
the impact of creativity on the economy. There is at least some contribution due to creativity
in almost every industry, but the selected industries are of particular importance, since their
contribution can be quantified from the I-O table and the results can be compared with
studies undertaken elsewhere using the same definition.
Thailand’s creative industries in the present study
I-O Code
Description of Industry
080
Wooden furniture and fixture
083
Printing and publishing
II
088
Drug and Medicine
132
Jewelry and related articles
168
Research1/
172
Motion picture production
173
Movie theatre
174
Radio, TV, and related services
Information Technology2/
-
Source: NESDB
1/
The research sector will be discussed as one of enabling factors of Thailand‟s creative
industries.
2/
There is no separation of Information Technology in the 180 sector I-O table. However,
we included this sector to see its contributions to Thailand‟s economy through the National
Statistical Office (NSO) survey data. However, the data seem to be underrepresented.
Activity 1: Measuring the economic contributions of Thailand’s
creative industries
In order to gauge the current economic contributions of Thailand‟s creative industries,
we have updated the I-O table from the official NESDB table by using the RAS and Cross
Entropy methods to the year 2008. The estimated I-O table of 2008 analysis enabled analysis
of three types of economic contributions to Thailand‟s economy: primary impact, secondary
impact, and tertiary impact.
1.
Primary Impact
The primary impact involves the direct and quantifiable contributions of the selected
creative industries to the national economy. This includes how much these creative industries
directly contribute to GDP, value added and employment. Together with a 2008 survey of the
information and communication technology industries, our analysis of the estimated 2008 I-O
data show that in 2008, Thailand‟s creative industries contributed THB 1,067,987 million
(about USD 32 billion) in sales and more than THB 325,274 million (about USD 9.7 billion)
in value added (not including the value added from the IT industry as this value-added data is
not available). These industries accounted for 9.53% of total Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
with the value added amounting to 2.86% of GDP in 2008. Revenue from the jewelry
industry accounted for 4.73% of GDP).
Direct Economic Contributions of Thai Creative Industries, 2008
III
Employme
nt
Employm
ent/
Total
employm
ent
Value
added/
Worker
Exports
Sales
Sales/ GDP
Value added
(millions
of ฿)
(percent)
(millions
of ฿)
(percent)
(percent)
(thousands
of person)
(percent)
(million
s
of ฿)
(millions
of ฿)
55,911.10
0.50
29,906.90
0.27
53.5
67.50
0.19
0.44
54,609.70
71,609.10
44,207.80
530,547.01
0.64
0.39
4.73
32,439.20
24,170.50
161,650.62
0.29
0.22
1.44
45.3
54.7
30.5
14.20
31.80
63.00
0.04
0.09
0.17
2.28
0.76
2.57
18,660.00
5,795.71
157,730.65
13,911.00
0.12
5,397.74
0.05
38.8
10.0
0.03
0.54
0.12
Creative industry
Wooden furniture and
fixtures
Printing and publishing
Drug and medicine
Jewelry and related
articles
Motion picture production
Value
added/
Sales*
Value
added/
GDP
Movie theatre
Radio, TV, and related
services
9,876.45
44,406.00
0.09
0.40
3,200.55
63,552.00
0.03
0.57
32.4
143.1
8.80
234.60
0.02
0.65
0.36
0.27
777.25
0.00
Information technology
297,518.20
2.65
NA
NA
NA
445.60
1.23
NA
192,079.00
2.86
41.57
875.50
2.42
0.75
429,652.00
Total
1,067,986.91
9.53
325,274.00
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
Note: *The value added per sales of non-creative industries is 68.1 percent
In 2008, 875,500 workers (or 2.42% of Thailand‟s workforce) were employed in the
selected creative industries. The IT industry had the highest employment, accounting for
1.23% of total employment. The jewelry and related articles industry had the largest valueadded contribution to GDP of 0.97%. The creative industries, excluding the IT industry,
contributed average value added of THB 750,000 (USD 22,522.5) per worker. The jewelry
industry had relatively high value added per worker of approximately THB 2.57 million
(USD 77,177.2), while the printing and publishing industry had value added of THB 2.28
million (USD 68,468.5) per worker. This is well above the average value added per worker of
THB 309,230 (USD 9,286.2) and nearly triple the THB 786,850 (USD 23,629) value added
per worker in manufacturing.
In terms of international trade, exports of the selected creative industries totaled THB
429,653 million (USD12.9 billion) in 2008, 7.34 % of total exports, and, according to UNTAD
statistics, has been growing steadily (5.1% per year from 2000 to 20005). The main exporting
sectors were the IT sector, with exports worth about THB 192,079.32 million (USD 5.77
billion), and the jewelry and related articles sector, with exports worth THB 157,730.65
million (USD 4.73 billion).
2.
Secondary Impact
The secondary economic impact of Thai creative industries is shown in their indirect
contributions. This secondary impact is derived from the multiplier effect resulting from
expenditures in the creative industries. This occurs because the creative industries induce
production in other industries. An industry‟s multipliers measure the total effects on other
industries in the economy for each unit of final demand in that industry. For example, one
additional baht of expenditure in the movie theatre industry will induce other industries to
create THB 2.14 worth of output and THB 1.50 worth of value added in the overall economy.
The movie theatre and radio, TV, and related services industries have particularly
high output and value-added multipliers compared to the average output multiplier of 1.63
and the average value-added multiplier of 0.70. The movie theatre industry showed an output
multiplier of 2.14 while the radio, TV and related services industry had a multiplier of 1.84.
These high multipliers are due to the requirements of these industries for extensive
outsourcing and to significant inter-industry dependence. The movie theatre; and radio, TV,
and related services industries also stimulate the highest level of additional value added,
given one unit increase in final demand. Their respective value-added multipliers are at 1.50
and 0.92. This is due to the high value added generated within the industry, corresponding to
the high commercial and mass-market value associated with their products. In contrast, the
industries of wooden furniture and fixtures (with a multiplier of 0.38); and research (with a
multiplier of 0.46) had the lowest value-added multipliers. For the research industry, one
possible explanation is that most of its products are not yet being be sold in the mass market.
IV
Multipliers of Thai Creative Industries
National average
1.63
0.70
Wooden furniture and fixture
1.40
0.38
Printing and publishing
0.62
Drug and medicine
0.59
Jewelry and related articles
1.56
1.59
1.55
0.58
Research
1.47
0.46
Motion picture production
1.62
0.61
Movie theatre
2.14
1.50
Radio, TV, and related services
1.84
0.92
0.00
0.50
VA multiplier
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
Output multiplier
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
3.
Tertiary Impact
The tertiary impact involves the direct, but non-quantifiable contributions of the
selected creative industries to the national economy. This includes how much the creative
industries contribute to industrial invention, innovation and differentiation, leading ultimately
to greater economic competitiveness. We assess this impact based on the utilization of
creative goods and services in other sectors‟ production.
Our analysis of the estimated I-O 2008 indicates that overall manufacturing receives
1.01% of inputs from the creative industries. The petroleum refinery and gas separation plant
industry has the highest creativity utilization (1.26%) among major industries. The motor
vehicle; and special industrial machinery industries have the second and third highest
consumption (0.42% and 0.08%), but these rates are lower than that of the overall utilization.
The highest rate of creative utilization is shown in some smaller industries, especially the iron
ore (21.36%); and natural chemical and fertilizer (9.10%) industries. It should be noted that
creativity utilization is likely to be even higher for several industries once data from the
information and technology (ICT) and design industries are available and taken into account
as creative industries. This is due to the close interrelationship between the IT industry and
most other manufacturing industries and the value-added chain-upgrading potential of the
design industry.
As a whole, the service sector has a creativity utilization rate of 6.31, much higher
than the rate for the manufacturing sector. The utilization rate of the service sector is,
however, more varied across sub-sectors. Creative inputs figure most strongly in the hospital
(29.63%) and the education (9.40%) industries owing to their extensive usage of patentprotected drugs and medicines in the hospital industry and of printing and publishing and
research in education. Some smaller industries also depend extensively on creative inputs,
particularly the library and museum industry (24.84%).
V
The printing and publishing; motion picture production; radio, TV, and related
services industries; and drug and medicine industries contribute the greatest creative inputs to
other sectors of the economy. These sectors are, therefore, particularly important in helping
local producers get a higher domestic and global market share from the higher
competitiveness derived from more creative inputs.
We have compiled available information on the size and the economic contributions
of creative industries for six countries, Australia, Singapore, the United States, China, India,
1
and the Philippines . This information indicates that the rise of creative economies is a key
element of development toward developed country status and thus for any given year the
level of the economic contribution by creative economies in developed countries is higher
than that of developing countries. We found that this is true for both of the developed
countries studied, Australia and the United States. Both economies have greater contributions
to GDP from the creative industries than the developing countries. Also in terms of share of
employment in creative industries to total of employment in a country, both Australia at
3.70% in 1999-2000 and the United States at 8.49% in 2005 have high figures and we believe
that more recent figures for Australia‟s figure would show a much higher share.
China‟s creative industries‟ contribution to its economy was relatively low at 2.50%
of GDP in 2006. However, this appears to be growing rapidly. In terms of labor share,
Thailand‟s current figure is slightly higher than that of Singapore 10 years ago. The data
indicates that Thailand‟s creative industries are growing faster than the rest of the economy,
although they still contribute relatively less than the creative industries in developed countries
and the number of jobs created by Thailand‟s creative industries is still quite low.
International trade statistics also show a positive trend. Thailand‟s export of creative
goods reached nearly USD 13 billion in 2008, ranked 17th, with a world market share of
1.29%, trailing behind only the OECD countries, India and China. The creative industries in
Thailand clearly have the potential to become an important growth engine for the Thai
exports.
Finally, we have compared our indirect contribution results with the calculations of
Toh Mun Heng, Andrian Choo, and Terence Ho (2003) for the UK and Singapore economies.
Despite some differences in the disaggregation of Thailand‟s I-O table, it is possible to make
a number of observations. In movie production, Thailand has comparatively low output
multipliers. Unlike the United Kingdom and Singapore cases, Thailand‟s output multiplier is
slightly less than the national average. However, Thailand‟s cinema services industry has a
higher value-added multiplier than Singapore‟s, but it is less than that of the United
Kingdom. Both Thailand and Singapore have value-added multipliers for this industry that
are lower than the national average, while the UK‟s figure is higher than the UK national
average. This indicates that Thailand‟s creative industries are less creative in terms of adding
value than those of the UK.
In the publishing and printing sector, all three countries have output multipliers less
than their national averages. The United Kingdom had the highest multiplier, followed by
Thailand, and Singapore respectively. Nonetheless, Singapore‟s publishing and printing
1
There exists some inconsistency in year of study and definition of creative industries.
VI
sector had the highest value-added multiplier, which is above the national average. Also,
Singapore had the highest overall productivity.
Conclusions from Activity 1
In conclusion, our analysis shows that, in 2008, the selected creative industries
contributed more than a trillion baht (USD 32 billion) to Thailand‟s economy, nearly 10% of
total GDP. The contributions of the jewelry (4.73% of GDP) and IT (2.65% of GDP)
industries were particularly high. Value added by these industries, even without the IT
industry, for which data was not available, was more than THB 325,274 million (USD 9.7
billion). While total employment in the selected creative industries was only about 2.4% of
the workforce, the value added per worker was high, indicating that creative industry jobs
were relatively high-paying. The creative industries also contributed significantly to
Thailand‟s exports, earning nearly USD 13 billion and placing Thailand among the world‟s
top 20 exporters of creative goods. It is also important that these creative exports are
growing steadily at more than 5% per year, indicating strong global demand for Thai creative
goods.
In addition, the creative industries stimulated growth in other parts of the economy,
with an average output multiplier greater than the average for the economy. The movie
theater industry was particularly impactful, with each baht of expenditure in this sector
generating 2.14 baht of output in the rest of the economy. Other industries also depended on
inputs from the creative industries, with particularly high impacts on industries such as iron
and fertilizer. The largest dependence on the creative industries, however, was seen in the
service sector which depended on the creative industries for more than 6% of its inputs.
Services such as education and hospitals, however, depended on the creative industries for up
to nearly 30% of their inputs. These figures certainly understate the case because utilization
data for the IT industry was not available. Clearly, IT is a key input for almost all industry
sectors
It is clear that the economic contributions of the creative industries are considerable.
Compared to other countries studied, however, the multiplier effects are less than they should
be. This suggests that Thailand‟s creative industries have less well-developed value chains
than those of more developed economies, such as Singapore. Therefore, it is likely that
effective efforts to nurture those value chains could accelerate the development of the
creative industries and further enhance the contribution of creative industries to the overall
economy. Value added ratios that are not much higher than in the rest of the economy
indicate that Thailand‟s creative industries depend on creativity that comes from elsewhere
and that more support for R&D and creativity are needed to increase value added.
Activity 2: Assessing the losses due to IPR infringement
Since protection of intellectual property is one of the key factors supporting the
growth of creative industries, it is important to assess the impact of IPR infringement on
those industries. In this report, we have selected four industry cases to show the severity of
the problem in terms of both the static and dynamic effects. These industry cases cover the
movie, music, IT, and pharmaceutical industries.
VII
In order to correctly quantify the losses due to IPR infringement, we have employed
the microeconomic analysis framework of the market structures impacted by IPR
infringement. Under this framework, the market can be technically disaggregated into two
interrelated submarkets: the primary submarket, where genuine goods or perceived-asgenuine goods are sold, and the secondary submarket, where infringing products that do not
attempt to deceive the consumers are traded. The effects of IPR infringement also differ
according to the type of infringement. In the case of copyright or patent piracy, the secondary
submarket can be divided into two sections: those who use pirate goods as substitutes for
authentic goods, and those who use pirate goods only if genuine goods are not readily
available. In the case of trademark counterfeit, there is always an attempt to deceive the
consumer, so there is no secondary submarket. The effect of trademark infringement is
straightforward, as the fake goods compete with the authentic goods in the primary market.
We applied this framework of analysis to our industry cases by using the data from
the Department of Intellectual Property report on Thailand‟s Implementation of Intellectual
Property Rights (March 2008-February 2009). It is found that major infringements in the film
or movie industry include optical disc piracy, and camcorder piracy. The damage caused by
mass unauthorized reproduction and distribution of pirated optical discs or by offering pirated
digital materials for download from the Internet, is considerable. Major infringements in the
music industry also involve optical disc piracy and unauthorized reproduction and
distribution over the Internet. In the IT industry, software piracy is the major type of
infringement. As for movies and music, producers of pirated software violate copyright and
distribute infringing materials via optical discs and the Internet. Copyright infringements also
occur in the other forms of creative works, including cable TV piracy and book piracy. In the
pharmaceutical industry, the major infringement is the counterfeiting of drugs. Trademark
violations are typically involved in all of these infringements through the copying of labels
and unauthorized use of the copyright owner‟s name and trademark.
Additionally, the full report summarizes data on IPR infringements in each industry
compiled from secondary sources. Information on the piracy rates in the movie and music
industries comes from the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), the piracy rate
in the IT industry (software) comes from The Business Software Alliance (BSA), and the rate
of counterfeit pharmaceuticals comes from World Health Organization (WHO). We validated
the data for Thailand through interviews with the local firms and industry associations. This
data was used in conjunction with the industry data from the I-O tables in a set of
simulations.
Running a simulation based on the assumption of zero IPR infringements in the
pharmaceutical sector indicates that completely effective IPR protection would generate
potential increased legal revenues of THB 6,631 million. Similarly, a simulation assuming
the elimination of camcorder, optical disk and Internet piracy would generate additional legal
income of THB 3,756 million for the movie sector. We estimate potential gains of THB
1,807 for the IT industry and THB 1,755 million for the music industry from the elimination
of copyright piracy. Therefore, the total direct static effect of failure to stop IPR infringement
for these four industries can be estimated at around THB 13,949 million. When we take the
multiplier effects on other industries into account, the total estimated loss to the economy is
about THB 22,803 million.
Moreover, the existence of infringements also has dynamic effects on the rights
holders. Deceiving consumers into buying fake or substandard products has an especially
VIII
severe impact on brand value and firm reputation with customers unhappy with the
substandard products switching to other brands or reducing purchases of that type of product
from any source.
Since consumers in the secondary submarket are well aware that the products they
consume are unauthentic, they would still buy the pirated goods if available, but might buy
authentic goods had the pirated goods not been available. Piracy also adds a significant
degree of uncertainty to any marketing plan because it is difficult for rights holders to
anticipate the volume and pricing of competing pirated goods. This makes it difficult for
companies to properly anticipate demand for the legal product and therefore set accurate
production levels. In an economic downturn, these difficulties can tip companies towards
bankruptcy and destroy capital. There are, however, economic studies that suggest that lowerpriced pirated products can help increase the sales of authentic products, Slive and Bernhardt
(1998) for example, by expanding public awareness and consumption of the products,
especially at the low cost end of the market.
The following analysis assesses some of the effects of piracy on particular aspects of
the creative industries.
1. Investment
In each of the creative industries, IPR infringements affect expected income and the
incentives to make new investment, or choices of investment. In the movie industry, movie
production companies‟ revenues from movie theaters, and average revenues per movie
increased during 2003-2008 while the number of Thai movies produced per year during this
period was rather steady. Thus, it might appear that investment in movie production was not
significantly affected. However, since piracy clearly reduced expectations of income, it
appears to have impacted the investments made by movie production companies. Although
there is no industry-wide statistic to show this, we have learned from the interviews with
movie makers that many companies have reduced the average cost of movie production in
order to reduce their risk of loss due to piracy.
This is also the case in the music industry, where piracy has impacted the investment
decisions of major music labels, shifting investment to products that are more difficult to
pirate. It can be seen from company figures that the share of revenue from selling records,
rights, and digital products for the two biggest Thai music labels, GMM Grammy and RS
Promotion, has been decreasing. In its 2008 annual report, GMM Grammy acknowledged
that consumers have moved toward online digital products. RS Promotion also stated in its
2008 annual report that there has been a shift from physical product sales to digital content
with CD, VCD and DVD sales decreasing by 27.9% and online digital business income
increasing by 42.9%. The revenue from the live entertainment business of both firms grew at
20% and 16% from 2007 to 2008. The perception in the industry is that revenue from the live
entertainment business is safer and more dependable because it cannot be pirated and that
digital downloading of music from an authorized company website is somewhat easier to
protect from large-scale piracy than the sales of optical discs.
In the IT industry, the impact of software piracy on foreign direct investment in
Thailand from large software companies appears to be more psychological than to actual
losses from piracy and is not likely to change much in the near future. Foreign firms view
Thailand mainly as a market for their products rather than a production base and thus they are
IX
looking for marketing and distribution channels that do not require much investment. The
major factor in the reluctance to invest in software research and production in Thailand,
according to industry interviews, is more due to the shortage of local IT talent and the
language barrier rather than the existence of software piracy.
Local Thai software firms, however, do show some concern over piracy, but access to
cheap capital, training, IT infrastructure, tax incentives, and government-led market
promotion tend to top of their list of desired government support in preference to action
against piracy. According to a survey conducted by the National Statistic Office (NSO), only
16% of software firms have sought help on piracy. As a result, it seems clear that piracy
alone does not greatly impact the investment decisions of existing Thai software firms.
However, for new comers, the negative effect of piracy amplifies the risks in new products.
For foreign drug companies, investment in the Thai pharmaceutical industry has been
impacted by emotions aroused on both sides over the compulsory licensing scheme under
which the Thai Ministry of Public Health authorized the licensing of the production or import
of patented medicines by organizations other than the patent holder in an effort to reduce the
cost of some medicines. Despite those emotions, however, some positive developments seem
to be in the pipeline. There has been progress on an agreement between the Thai Commerce
Ministry, PhRMA and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) to increase the
availability of cheaper drugs in the country by encouraging cooperation on research and
innovation rather than imposing compulsory licensing.
2. Domestic legitimate market
As for the domestic legitimate market, IPR infringement in each industry directly
affects the business models of each industry.
In the movie industry, it is clear that the movie VCD and DVD business is most
severely affected by copyright infringement due to widespread optical disc piracy. The case
of Pongsaap Public Company Limited (Pongsaap), for example, clearly demonstrates the
negative impact of movie piracy on domestic business. Pongsaap, a major producer and
distributor of music and video CDs, DVDs and tapes has suffered a sharp decline in sales and
share price since 2006 resulting in losses that continued through 2009. In the second quarter
of 2009, for example, the company reported a loss of THB 47.74 million with the net loss
margin of 37.14% of total revenues. The company has blamed the competition from pirated
CDs and DVDs for its losses and has been forced to sharply cut its production costs and its
payments for copyrights.
Unlike the physical material distributions business, to which pirated products can
substitute for genuine products is much lower in the case of the theater business. The data for
Major Cineplex, the biggest theater chain company, shows steady increases in revenue and
growth despite the high degree of movie piracy. It appears that pirated movies do not directly
compete with the movie theater experience. However, in the long run, it is clear that piracy
diverts money away from overall movie industry, thereby undermining production
companies‟ incentives to invest in the production of new movies and, consequently, reducing
the sales of movie tickets at theaters.
The data indicates that piracy also reduces the funds available for movie production
and VCD and DVD distribution. Due to competition from cheaper pirated VCDs and DVDs,
X
production companies and other businesses in the value chain strive to lower their costs of
production. For instance, VCD and DVD distributors may switch from hard plastic to soft
plastic envelopes to reduce their packaging costs. Production companies may spend less on
writers, actors and production and post-production technicians, thereby reducing the quality
and international competitiveness of Thai movies.
Piracy appears to have played an enormous role in changing the structure of the Thai
music business. Improvements in technology and the development of new media platforms
have driven a change in consumption behavior through new ways for consumers to be
reached by the industry‟s products, both legally and illegally. The sales of recordings,
copyrights, and broadcast rights have gone down significantly in recent years as more
consumers choose to consume illegal products. The downtrend in sales of physical records
means many retailers have closed down. One example is the closing of CD Warehouse, once
one of the country‟s biggest music retailers. In contrast, the live entertainment business
appears to have benefited from piracy as it increases the public exposure of the artists, and
hence their popularity. For Thailand‟s biggest music label, GMM Grammy, the share of total
revenue from selling records, rights, and broadcast had been roughly 50% of the total revenue
between 2003-2005, but this had declined to only 35% in 2008. Income from live
entertainment shows, which had been around 10% of total revenue, increased to 27.5% in
2008.
In the IT industry, the impact of piracy on the legitimate domestic market is different
for foreign and domestic software firms. Foreign firms appear to deal with piracy more
effectively than local Thai firms. Due to their larger market size, foreign firms have more
resources to resolve piracy problems. They work with organizations such as the Business
Software Alliance (BSA) and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) to
reinforce intellectual property protection. Furthermore, foreign firms have introduced
innovative business models to negate piracy, such as shifting away from licensing revenue,
delivering software-on-demand, and providing free copies with limited features.
Leading international software firms raise awareness of the adverse effects of piracy
that include financial losses, distraction from new product development, and hidden threats
from downloading pirated software. These international firms invest in piracy-protection
technology and work with local government to crack down on piracy. Our interviews suggest,
however, that Thai software firms are still operating in an old paradigm – depending on
licensing fees. Local firms are likely to continue to suffer disproportionate revenue loss from
piracy unless the Thai government can provide improved IPR protection and enforcement.
Since Thailand‟s pharmaceutical industry is primarily concerned with production,
packaging and marketing, it is not involved in much R&D. Therefore, IPR violations do not
have a large direct effect on the domestic market structure. However, it may induce
international R&D-based pharmaceutical companies to avoid or delay launching new
products in Thailand. This reduces the opportunity for technology transfers and development
of the domestic industry.
3. Artistic creativity and innovation
In terms of artistic creativity, IPR violations in the movie industry appear to have
limited immediate effects on creators‟ incentives due to the nature of the compensation
system. In Thailand, most script writers, actors and directors are compensated on a lump-sum
XI
basis. On such a basis, the compensation for their creative efforts does not depend for any
particular movie on the revenue of that movie. In the longer run, however, movie company
losses due to piracy lead, as noted above, to reductions in the budgets available for movie
production, including the payments made to writers, actors and directors. The impact of
piracy on the number of movies made also affects the incentives for the creative artists
involved as limited growth in the number of movies made and limited profits from successful
movies means less competition by production houses to recruit and retain the best talent.
In the music industry, the compensation system is more varied and flexible, with
many artists compensated according to sales. Therefore, music piracy directly reduces the
financial incentive of these creators. However, music downloading and other forms of piracy
through the growing number of media platforms appear to some benefit for the music
industry in the sense that they have increased the level of consumption of music. This may be
helpful for artists signed to smaller, independent labels that do not have as much money as
the major labels to pay for radio broadcast or advertisements. Because music piracy
distributes music to a wider and more varied set of consumers, it can increase the audiences
for live and broadcast shows, from which many musical artists derive their main income.
In the long run, however, piracy undermines the incentive to create and invest in new
music as the occupations of composer or creator of contents becomes less attractive, and the
producers (and investors) of the contents earn less income. Piracy pays the person who makes
and sells the pirated copies, not the creator of the content. Piracy means that creators are not
getting their fair share of the revenue from the sales of recorded music.
In the software industry, piracy in Thailand affects both foreign and international
producers‟ creativity and innovation. Although the market size in Thailand is comparatively
small, software piracy may affect the incentive of foreign producers to innovate new software
that is more beneficial or more suited for Thailand by, for example, being available in the
Thai language. Instead, the piracy problem increases the incentive of foreign producers to
innovate technology to protect against piracy rather than providing better performance for
users. This slows the pace of useful innovation in software development..
IPR infringement in the pharmaceutical industry has an obvious impact on innovation
since the pharmaceutical research and development process is complex, lengthy and risky.
IPR violations can hinder the development of a productive environment for pharmaceutical
innovation, diminish advances in research and jeopardize technology transfer -- all of which
harm the domestic industry.
4. Social and cultural values
An important aspect of creative works, such as movies, music, games and literature is
that it represents and promotes key cultural values of that society. Not only do foreigners
learn about Thailand through movies or music, but such works allow Thai people to absorb
diverse and complex aspects of Thailand‟s social and cultural values. Therefore, it could be
argued that Thai social and cultural values are more accessible to other countries because of
the greater ease of access due to pirated movies and illegal downloads. With Internet access,
this process of cultural and value exchange, once difficult, is now just a computer click away.
Any such benefit, however, is far outweighed by the impact of pirated movies in undermining
Thailand‟s social and cultural values and by the discouraging impact piracy has on
investment in the production of high-quality Thai movies.
XII
5. Public safety
Available information indicates that piracy is often a funding source for organized
2
international crime . It is especially attractive for criminal networks because, while the
profitability is high, the risk of prosecution is low and can sometimes be further reduced
through the bribery of the authorities responsible for enforcing IPR laws and regulations. The
proof of this is that the majority of the people in Thailand, including the police and other
responsible authorities, know where pirated or counterfeit copies of creative products can be
purchased, but the counterfeits continue to be available.
The overall extent of organized crime involvement is difficult to document, but from
what information is available, it appears that organized crime is heavily involved. The Asian
“triads,” groups based primarily in Hong Kong while also active in Taiwan and mainland
China, are known to be involved in heroin trafficking from South-East Asia to the United
States, prostitution, gambling, money laundering and alien smuggling. They also have been
reported to be connected to the selling of pirated DVDs and producing counterfeit
pharmaceuticals.
Moreover, with the availability of pirated movies, some minors are exposed to movies
with inappropriately violent and sexual contents at a relatively young age. This may have
implications for the behavior of these young people, their development as adults, and,
possibly, other people‟s safety. Software piracy is also connected to computer crime. Key
issues include hacking, copyright infringement, child pornography, and information theft.
Problems of privacy may arise when confidential information is lost or intercepted illegally.
Finally, counterfeit drugs have direct and dangerous effects on people‟s health. The
regular use of substandard or counterfeit medicines can lead to treatment failure or drug
resistance and thus has serious consequences for consumer health and safety. For example, a
study conducted in South-East Asia in 2001 revealed that 38% of 104 samples of antimalarial drugs on sale in pharmacies did not contain any active ingredients and had resulted
in a number of preventable deaths. Potentially even more dangerous are the counterfeit drugs
that include a small amount of active ingredient in order to make detection more difficult.
Drugs with insufficient active ingredients, however, accelerate the development of drug
resistant strains of disease. Already the Thai-Cambodia border area has seen the emergence
of drug resistant malaria that could potentially develop into a global health threat.
Recommendations for development of Thailand’s creative
industries
Our analysis shows that government support for the creative industries is an important
policy direction that can make a significant contribution to Thailand‟s economic development
and the needed transition to a more advanced economy that can provide higher per capita
income and greater quality of life for the Thai people. In line with this policy, government
2
Information from OECD (2008), The Economic Impact of Counterfeiting and Piracy. OECD Publishing.
Chapter 3 and Chapter 5.
XIII
should strongly support the creation of intellectual property. Creative industries depend on
IPR to gain the financial rewards of creativity and provide the investment capital necessary
for future development of IP. The government should use the education system and public
service advertisements to help people understand the importance of IPR to the Thai economy
and therefore support enforcement of IP protection and reduce purchases of pirated or
counterfeit products. More detailed policy recommendations are provided for each of the
creative industries in the full report, but the general recommendations include the following:

Expand the elements supporting creativity already in the draft of the 11th National
Development Plan

Develop creative industries together with that of knowledge-based industries because
knowledge and creativity are interrelated. The government should increase its support
for research and development, both through support for public sector education and
research institutes and through tax incentives for R&D in the private sector.

Private sector firms should implement longer term strategies for product innovation,
possibly involving collaboration with universities and research institutes.

Increase government efforts, such as those funded by the NESDB, the Ministry of
Commerce and the Ministry of Industry, to strengthen creative value chains through a
cluster approach.

Address weaknesses in the IPR system. The patent registration process, for example,
should be supported with improved processes, higher fees for outside assessors and
more trained personnel to reduce the time needed to register a patent. IPR should be
protected through more effective enforcement including convictions that bring
sufficient fines to deter piracy.

Improve the ability of the education system to foster creativity so that it produces new
knowledge as well as creative people. This must include more effective and betterfunded implementation of the Ministry of Education‟s policy of moving away from
rote-based learning to more student-centered and project-based or enquiry-based
learning.

Include teaching on creativity and intellectual property in the education system.

Use public service announcements to create understanding among the public that
piracy of creative products is a form of theft and hurts Thailand‟s development.

Provide entrepreneurship skills to people in the creative industries. Software
engineers, doctors, researchers and artists need the business skills that will enable
them to build profitable businesses on the basis of their creativity and technical skills.

Support efforts by Thai universities, the Office of Knowledge Management and
Development (OKMD) and the National Science and Technology Development
Agency (NSTDA) to improve the process for technology licensing and expand R&D
efforts.
XIV
XV

Provide a higher level of support for creative SMEs and creative start-up companies
through the Office of SME Promotion and the SME Bank as well as venture
capitalists and “angel investors”.

Implement the “Creative Thailand” policy in a systematic, integrated and
understandable manner. Interagency cooperation, especially where regulatory powers
overlap, is required.

Pursue public-private partnerships to support creative industries, such as the Thailand
Animation and Multimedia Awards, the Thailand Animation Film Festival and the
Intellectual Property Mart.

Strengthen organizations set up specifically to support the creative economy, such as
the National Innovation Agency, the Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA),
the Office of Knowledge Management and Development (OKMD) and the National
Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)

Attract high-level creative talent to live and work in Thailand. Such talent should
include software engineers, designers, film-makers, multi-media professionals,
authors, creative entrepreneurs and researchers. Barriers to such talents should be
eliminated, especially the difficulties in obtaining Ministry of Labor work permits.

Provide international standard telecommunications infrastructure to support creativity
in the IT and entertainment industries. Government should make it a high priority to
remove the obstacles to implementation of ITC infrastructure such as Wimax and 3G
and make the National Telecommunications Commission more effective and efficient
to ensure that obstacles and delays do not delay the roll out of future technologies.
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY…………………………………………………………......II-XV
1
1.1
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1
Definition of Creative Industries ....................................................................................................... 2
1.2
Creative Industries in Thailand ......................................................................................................... 5
1.2.1 Wooden Furniture and Fixture Industry (I-O code: 080) ...................................................................... 6
1.2.1.1
Market Structure and Value Chain ............................................................................................... 6
1.2.1.2
IP system and the wooden furniture and fixture industry ............................................................. 8
1.2.2 Printing and Publishing Industry (I-O code: 083) ................................................................................. 9
1.2.2.1
Market Structure and Value Chain ............................................................................................... 9
1.2.2.2
IP system and the printing and publishing industry .................................................................... 11
1.2.3 Pharmaceutical Industry (I-O code 088) ............................................................................................. 12
1.2.3.1
Market Structure and Value Chain ............................................................................................. 12
1.2.3.2
IP System and the pharmaceutical industry ................................................................................ 15
1.2.4 Jewelry and related Articles Industries (I-O code: 132) ...................................................................... 16
1.2.4.1
Market Structure and Value Chain ............................................................................................. 16
1.2.4.2
IP System and the jewelry and related article industry ............................................................... 19
1.2.5 Motion Picture Production and Movie Theatres (I-O codes: 172 and 173)......................................... 19
1.2.5.1
Market Structure and Value Chain ............................................................................................. 19
1.2.5.2
IP System and the Motion Picture and Movie Theatres Industries ............................................. 23
1.2.6 Radio and TV and Related Industries (I-O code: 174) ........................................................................ 24
1.2.6.1
Market Structure and Value Chain ............................................................................................. 24
1.2.6.2
IP system and radio, TV, and related services industries ........................................................... 27
1.2.7 Information Technology (IT) Industry ................................................................................................ 27
1.2.7.1
Market Structure and Value Chain ............................................................................................. 28
1.2.7.2
IP System and Information Technology Industry ....................................................................... 30
1.2.8 Research (I-O code: 168) .................................................................................................................... 30
1.2.8.1
Market Structure and Value Chain ............................................................................................. 30
1.2.8.2
IP System and the research industry ........................................................................................... 32
2
LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................................................................... 33
2.1
Creative Industries in Developed Countries .................................................................................... 33
2.1.1 Australia .............................................................................................................................................. 33
2.1.2 Singapore ............................................................................................................................................ 36
2.1.3 United States ....................................................................................................................................... 38
2.2
Creative Industries in Developing Countries .................................................................................. 40
2.2.1 China ................................................................................................................................................... 40
2.2.2 India .................................................................................................................................................... 43
2.2.3 Philippines ........................................................................................................................................... 44
3
METHODOLOGY AND DATA.......................................................................................... 46
3.1
Structure of Thailand’s I-O Table ................................................................................................... 47
3.2
I-O Table Updating Methodologies and Data ................................................................................. 48
4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ......................................................................................... 51
4.1
Primary Impact................................................................................................................................ 52
4.2
Secondary Impact ............................................................................................................................ 53
4.3
Tertiary Impact................................................................................................................................ 54
4.4
Country comparisons ....................................................................................................................... 56
5
LOSSES DUE TO PIRACY IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES.............................. 61
5.1
Framework of analysis ..................................................................................................................... 61
5.2
Piracy Data and Rate of Substitution .............................................................................................. 67
5.3
Simulation Results ........................................................................................................................... 68
6
6.1
INDUSTRY CASE 1: THE THAI MOVIE INDUSTRY ............................................... 70
Industry Overview ........................................................................................................................... 70
6.2
Assessment of Impact from Piracy .................................................................................................. 74
6.2.1 Piracy Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 74
6.2.2 Effects of piracy on the movie industry .............................................................................................. 75
6.2.2.1
Effect on investment ................................................................................................................... 75
6.2.2.2
Effect on legitimate domestic market ......................................................................................... 78
6.2.2.3
Effect on Artistic Creativity ....................................................................................................... 86
6.2.2.4
Effect on Social and Cultural Values ......................................................................................... 87
6.2.2.5
Effect on Public Safety ............................................................................................................... 87
7
7.1
INDUSTRY CASE 2: MUSIC .............................................................................................. 90
Industry Overview ........................................................................................................................... 90
7.2
Assessment of Impact from Piracy .................................................................................................. 94
7.2.1 Piracy analysis..................................................................................................................................... 94
7.2.2 Effects of piracy on music industry ..................................................................................................... 95
7.2.2.1
Effect on Investment and legitimate domestic market ................................................................ 95
7.2.2.2
Effect on Artistic Creativity ....................................................................................................... 98
7.2.2.3
Effect on Social and Cultural Values ......................................................................................... 99
7.2.2.4
Effect on Public Safety ............................................................................................................... 99
8
INDUSTRY CASE 3: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)................................... 99
8.1
Industry Overview ........................................................................................................................... 99
8.2
Assessment of Impact from Piracy ................................................................................................ 106
8.2.1 Piracy analysis................................................................................................................................... 106
8.2.2 Effects of Piracy ................................................................................................................................ 107
8.2.2.1
Effect on Investment ................................................................................................................ 107
8.2.2.2
Effect on Legitimate Domestic Market .................................................................................... 109
8.2.2.3
Effect on Innovation and Artistic Creativity ............................................................................ 110
8.2.2.4
Effect on Social and cultural values ......................................................................................... 111
8.2.2.5
Effect on Public safety.............................................................................................................. 111
9
9.1
INDUSTRY CASE 4: PHARMACEUTICALS ............................................................ 111
Industry Overview ......................................................................................................................... 112
9.2
Assessment of Impact from Piracy ................................................................................................ 120
9.2.1 Piracy analysis................................................................................................................................... 120
9.2.2 Effects of Piracy ................................................................................................................................ 125
9.2.2.1
Effect on investment ................................................................................................................. 125
9.2.2.2
Effect on legitimate domestic market ....................................................................................... 126
9.2.2.3
Effect on innovation ................................................................................................................. 127
9.2.2.4
Effect on public safety .............................................................................................................. 128
10
IMPLICATIONS FOR THAILAND’S DEVELOPMENT .................................... 128
10.1
Policy implications by industry...................................................................................................... 128
10.1.1
Movie and music industries .......................................................................................................... 128
10.1.2
Information technology industries ................................................................................................ 130
10.1.3
Pharmaceutical industries ............................................................................................................. 131
10.2
Policy recommendations for Thailand’s development .................................................................. 134
11
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 140
In Thai....................................................................................................................................................... 143
Food and Drug Administration (2007). “The Impacts of Thai-US FTA on Local Generic Drug Industry”,
Social Pharmacy Research Unit (SPR), Chulalongkorn University. .......................................................... 143
Ubornrat Siriyuwasak. (2004). Mass Communication Media, Culture and Society, Chulalongkorn
University Press
143
International Intellectual Property Alliance http://www.iipa.com/ ............................................................ 144
APPENDIX 1 ................................................................................................................................. 145
APPENDIX 2 ................................................................................................................................. 149
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Classification of the Creative Industries .......................................................................................... 4
Table 2: Thailand’s creative industries in the present study ......................................................................... 5
Table 3: Manufacturing and sales of the wooden furniture and fixture industry ......................................... 6
Table 4: Exports of the wood and furniture industry .................................................................................... 6
Table 5: Imports of the wood and furniture Industry ................................................................................... 7
Table 6: Numbers of publishers categorized by size ...................................................................................... 9
Table 7: Amount of money spent on books (per head) .................................................................................. 9
Table 8: Numbers of publishers and bookstores in Thailand ...................................................................... 10
Table 9: Numbers of new titles launched in Thailand ................................................................................. 10
Table 10: Book revenue and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ..................................................................... 10
Table 11: Manufacturing of the pharmaceutical products .......................................................................... 12
Table 12: Sales of the pharmaceutical products .......................................................................................... 13
Table 13: Imports and Exports of the Pharmaceutical Products ................................................................ 13
Table 14: Approved Registration of New Drug and New Generic Drug .................................................... 15
Table 15: Number of Drug Registration by Patented Status ....................................................................... 16
Table 16: Exports value of gem and Jewelry categorizing by countries ...................................................... 18
Table 17: A Number of Thai films in the theatres during 2002 – 2007 ....................................................... 21
Table 18: Revenue from ticket sales by company, 2003 – 2007 ................................................................... 22
Table 19: Number of Branches and Theater for two main theater chain companies ................................. 22
Table 20: Revenue from world exhibition .................................................................................................... 23
Table 21: Arrests for Intellectual Property Rights Violations ..................................................................... 24
Table 22: Advertising Budget categorized by type of media for 2005 and 2006 ......................................... 24
Table 23: Type of program categorized by style and content ...................................................................... 25
Table 24: Major Companies classified by the channel FM owner’s participation in the production process
.............................................................................................................................................................. 26
Table 25: Major Companies classified by the channel AM owner’s participation in the production process
.............................................................................................................................................................. 26
Table 26: Market Share for Free TV during 2005 – 2006 ........................................................................... 26
Table 27: IT Industry coverage in this study ............................................................................................... 27
Table 28: Market Structure of Thai IT Industry ......................................................................................... 28
Table 29: Percentage of Enterprises by Industry ....................................................................................... 29
Table 30: Thailand’s R&D expenditure in 2003 .......................................................................................... 30
Table 31: Research and Development Expenditure to GDP ........................................................................ 31
Table 32:Export and Import of the Copyright industries in 1995-96 – 1999-2000...................................... 35
Table 33: Direct Economic Contributions of Creative Industries in 2000 1/................................................ 36
Table 34: Secondary Economic Impact of Industries .................................................................................. 37
Table 35: Tertiary Economic Impact of Creative Industries ....................................................................... 38
Table 36: Contribution to U.S. economy (value-added, growth, and employment) .................................... 39
Table 37: Compensation per employee (USD) ............................................................................................. 40
Table 38: Foreign Sales and Export for Selected Industries ........................................................................ 40
Table 39: Creative Clusters in China ........................................................................................................... 41
Table 40: Effect of Including Telecommunication in China’s Creative Industries ..................................... 42
Table 41: The market values of Indian creative goods calculated by UNCTAD since 1996-2005 .............. 44
Table 42: Employment, Selected Industries in Community, Social and Personal Services: 1999, 2001 and
2003 ...................................................................................................................................................... 46
Table 43: Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) from RAS and CE methods ................................................ 49
Table 44: 2008 input-output table of Thailand (THB thousand million) .................................................... 50
Table 45: Direct Economic Contributions of Thai Creative Industries, 2008 ............................................. 52
Table 46: The Utilization of Creative Products by Major Thai Industries ................................................. 56
Table 47: Creative Industries Comparison among Selected Countries ....................................................... 57
Table 48: Creative goods: Top 20 exporters worldwide, 1996 and 2005 1/ ................................................... 58
Table 49 : Comparisons of Multipliers 1/...................................................................................................... 59
Table 50: The arrests and seizures of intellectual property infringing items produced and sold in
Thailand ............................................................................................................................................... 65
Table 51: The arrests and seizures of intellectual property infringing items by the customs officials at
borders ................................................................................................................................................. 66
Table 52: Royal Thai Police’s statistics on IPR infringement suppression efforts in 2008 ......................... 66
Table 53: The major areas that IPR has been most violated in 4 industry cases ........................................ 67
Table 54: Counterfeit/piracy rates used in the present study ...................................................................... 67
Table 55: Simulation results in case without any forms of IPR infringements ........................................... 68
Table 56: The static effects of IPR infringements in 4 industry cases on the economy ............................... 69
Table 57: The value of Thai movie industry ................................................................................................ 70
Table 58 Five largest production companies and the number of produced movies during 2003-2008 ....... 71
Table 59: Movie distributors and the number of distributed movies during 2004-2006 ............................. 72
Table 60: Theater companies and the number of branches and theaters .................................................... 73
Table 61: Types of IPR involved in movie industry ..................................................................................... 74
Table 62: The value of Thai movie ............................................................................................................... 75
Table 63: The number of Thai movies shown in theaters during 2002-2008............................................... 76
Table 64: Production companies’ revenues from theaters during 2003-2008 ............................................. 77
Table 65: Production companies’ average revenue of movies shown in theaters during 2003-2008 .......... 77
Table 66: Pongsaap’s revenue structure ...................................................................................................... 81
Table 67: The list of countries included in Sung Wook Ji’s study ............................................................... 82
Table 68: The number of Major Cineplex’s screens (seats) ......................................................................... 84
Table 69: Examples of international organized crimes ................................................................................ 88
Table 70: Movie classification for censorship .............................................................................................. 89
Table 71: Movies classified as Nor 20 .......................................................................................................... 89
Table 72: 2007 global recorded music sales of Thailand compared to 6 major countries ........................... 91
Table 73: Cost structure of creating an album ............................................................................................ 92
Table 74: Type of IPR involved in music industry ...................................................................................... 94
Table 75: Piracy rate and GMM Grammy Revenue structure .................................................................... 95
Table 76: Income structure of two biggest music labels in Thailand........................................................... 96
Table 77: Market Values and Growth of ICT Industry (2006-2009)......................................................... 100
Table 78: Ownership structure of IT companies in Thailand ................................................................... 103
Table 79: Access to investment promotion of IT firms in Thailand .......................................................... 103
Table 80: Number of Hardware patent registered in Thailand by Country of Origin ............................. 104
Table 81: Number of Software copyright registered in Thailand .............................................................. 105
Table 82: Channels of IT goods and services imports in 2007 ................................................................... 105
Table 83: Type of IPR involved in IT industry .......................................................................................... 106
Table 84: Piracy rate in Thailand’s software industry .............................................................................. 107
Table 85: R&D expenditure of Top Software Firms and Its share to Total Sales ..................................... 108
Table 86: Need for Government Supports of Thai firms in IT Industry ................................................... 109
Table 87: Number of Enterprises categorized by R&D (Technology Improvement, Products
Improvement, New Products Development and Demand for Aid in R&D) (percentage) ................. 110
Table 88: Total sales of pharmaceutical products by segment .................................................................. 113
Table 89:Thailand - Generic drug’s cost composition ............................................................................... 116
Table 90: Top 10 Pharmaceutical Corporations ........................................................................................ 118
Table 91: Average household monthly expenditures: by region, 2006 ...................................................... 119
Table 92: Type of IPR involved in the pharmaceutical industry ............................................................... 119
Table 93: Recent examples of counterfeit medicines internationally ........................................................ 123
Table 94: The recent cases on counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals in Thailand ......................................... 123
Table 95: Thailand’s profile on counterfeit medicines (2005-2007) .......................................................... 124
Table 96: Nine projects under creative economy policy carried out by the OKMD ................................. 135
Table 97: Thailand’s creative industries in the present study (detailed) ................................................... 145
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Thai wooden furniture and fixture industry value chain ............................................................... 8
Figure 2: Thai printing and publishing industry value chain...................................................................... 11
Figure 3: Thai Pharmaceutical Industry Structure and Value Chain ......................................................... 14
Figure 4: Thailand’s Export Structure for jewelry and related article in 2007 .......................................... 17
Figure 5: Thai Precious stones and Jewelry Industry Value Chain ............................................................ 18
Figure 6: Export’s value of gem and Jewelry since 2005-2009 .................................................................... 19
Figure 7: Value Chain of Thai Film Industries ............................................................................................ 20
Figure 8: Motion Picture Production Industry Value Chain ....................................................................... 20
Figure 9: Movie theatre industry value chain .............................................................................................. 22
Figure 10: Market share of films categorized by country in 2008 ............................................................... 23
Figure 11: Radio, TV and Related Services Industries Value Chain .......................................................... 25
Figure 12: Thai Information Technology (IT) Industry Value Chain ......................................................... 29
Figure 13: Thai Research Industry Value Chain ......................................................................................... 32
Figure 14: The Relative of the 3 copyright clusters (1999 – 2000) ............................................................... 33
Figure 15: Copyright Industries’ Value Added Contribution as a Percentage of GDP .............................. 34
Figure 16: Each Segment’s share of Australia’s Creative Workforce ......................................................... 35
Figure 17: Copyright Industries in the US Economy in 2004 ...................................................................... 39
Figure 18: Accumulated number of Creative Cluster in 12 Cities in China ............................................... 41
Figure 19: Philippine Creative Industry ...................................................................................................... 44
Figure 20: Philippine export performance of selected craft product, 1997 to 2001 .................................... 45
Figure 21: Revenues from motion picture, radio, TV and other entertainment activities 1999, 2001 and
2003 ...................................................................................................................................................... 45
Figure 22: Revenues from library & archives, museums, and other cultural activities – 1999, 2001 and
2003 (unit: Billion PHP) ....................................................................................................................... 46
Figure 23: Structure of 2008 input-output table of Thailand ...................................................................... 47
Figure 24: Multipliers of Thai Creative Industries ...................................................................................... 53
Figure 25: Analytical framework of losses from piracy assessment ............................................................ 62
Figure 26: Static and dynamic effects of piracy of the right holders ........................................................... 64
Figure 27: Thailand’s movie piracy rate ...................................................................................................... 74
Figure 28: The number of Thai movies and the movie industry’s piracy rate ............................................ 76
Figure 29: Production companies’ total revenue and the movie industry’s piracy rate ............................. 78
Figure 30: The accumulated number of VCD/DVD players in Thailand .................................................... 79
Figure 31: Estimated price of a DVD player and estimated price of a VCD player in Thailand ................ 80
Figure 32: Pongsaap’s value of copyrights, revenues on sales and services, total revenues, and profits
(losses) .................................................................................................................................................. 81
Figure 33: Production companies’ total average revenue per movie and the movie industry’s piracy rate
.............................................................................................................................................................. 83
Figure 34: Major Cineplex’s revenue and cost of cinema business ............................................................. 84
Figure 35: Major Cineplex’s revenue and the movie piracy rate ................................................................ 85
Figure 36: Value chain of Thailand’s music industry .................................................................................. 93
Figure 37: GMM Grammy’s revenue from 2003-2007 ................................................................................ 97
Figure 38: GMM Grammy’s average revenue between 2003-2005 and 2005-2007 ..................................... 98
Figure 39: Computer hardware value chain .............................................................................................. 100
Figure 40: Software and service sector value chain ................................................................................... 101
Figure 41: Classification of IT industry ..................................................................................................... 102
Figure 42: Number and shared of labor IT industry ................................................................................. 104
Figure 43: Thailand’s domestic production and import value of generic drug ......................................... 114
Figure 44: Thailand’s exports value of generic drug ................................................................................. 114
Figure 45: World’s Global Value Chain (GVC) of Pharmaceutical Industry ........................................... 115
Figure 46: Thailand’s Value Chain of Pharmaceutical Industry .............................................................. 116
Figure 47: pharmaceutical industry’s structure ........................................................................................ 117
Figure 48: Ownership of Pharmaceutical corporations in Thailand (2009) .............................................. 118
igure 49: Thailand’s Definition of counterfeit medical product ................................................................ 121
Figure 50: Pharmaceutical sales and the counterfeit (CFT) problem by regions ...................................... 122
Figure 51: Drug discovery and development process ................................................................................ 126
Figure 52: Key characteristics of the successful use of IP to promote innovation..................................... 127
Figure 53: Thailand’s economic structure development status ................................................................ 134
Figure 54: Thailand’s development strategy ............................................................................................. 137
Abbreviations and Acronyms
AM
ASEAN
BOI
BSA
CD
CL
CBD
CFT
CEP
CE
DPF
DCMS
DVD
FPRI
FOB
FTA
FM
GPO
GDP
IGP
ICT
IT
I-O Table
IP
IPR
IFPMA
IFPI
IIPA
IMPACT
MOPH
MNCs
NECTEC
NTB
OKMD
OD
OECD
OBM
ODM
OEM
PDA
PhRMA
Amplitude Modulation
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Board of Investment in Thailand
Business Software Alliance.
Compact Disc
Compulsory Licenses
Convention on Biological Diversity
Counterfeit
Creative Economy Program
Cross Entropy
Defense Pharmaceutical Factory
Department of Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom
Digital Video Disc
Fiscal Policy Research Institute
Free On Board
Free Trade Agreement
frequency modulation
Government Pharmaceutical Organization
Gross Domestic Product
Industry Gross Product
Information and communication technologies
Information Technology
Input-Output Table
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property Rights
International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
International Intellectual Property Alliance
International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce
by World Health Organization
Ministry of Public Health
Multi-national corporations
National Electronics and Computer Technology Center
non-tariff barriers
Office of Knowledge Management and Development
Optical Disc
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
Original Brand Manufacturers
Original Design Manufacturers
Original Equipment Manufacturers
Personal Digital Assistant
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
PReMA
PHP
PUBAT
RMB
R&D
RMSE
SGD
NSTDA
TV
THB
TDRI
ECOTEC
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures Association
Philippine peso
Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand
Renminbi, Chinese Yuan
Research and Development
Root Mean Square Errors
Singapore Dollar
Technology Development Agency
Television
Thai Baht
Thailand Development Research Institute
the Economic and Cyber-Crime Division, Central Investigation Bureau,
the Royal Thai Police
FDA
The Food and Drug Administration
INTERPOL
The International Criminal Police Organization
MICT
the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology
NESBD
The National Economic and Social Development Board
NRCT
The National Research Council of Thailand
NSO
The National Statistical Office
SMEs
the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
UK
the United Kingdom
TRIPS
Trade-Related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights
UN Comtrade United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database
UNCTAD
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
US
United State
USD
US Dollar
VA
Value-added
VCD
Video Compact Disc
VCR
videocassette recorder
WIPO
World Intellectual Property Organization
WTO
World Trade Organization
1
Introduction
The concepts of the „Creative Economy‟ and „Creative Industries‟3 are emerging
development paradigms that underscore the importance of creativity and intellectual capital
in economic development. While the “Creative Economy” concept includes a broad view of
the role of creativity in the economy, the idea of “Creative Industries” focuses on those
industries that require high levels of creativity for success. These concepts span economics,
business, culture, and technology. This focus on creativity represents a shift from the
traditional classifications of manufacturing and services towards more multidisciplinary
groupings. Many countries, both developed and developing, are using these concepts to
promote the burgeoning creative industries.4 For example, in the United Kingdom, the
Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) established the Creative Economy Program
(CEP) to develop and implement a Government strategy for its creative industries. Another
example is the Singaporean Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts‟ Creative
Industries Development Strategy program that aims to develop the Creative Industries as a
key engine of economic growth.
The Thai government has promoted the concept of the “Creative Economy” as critical
to Thailand‟s development. This is seen in the draft of the 11th National Development Plan
and in the nine government programs for developing creative industries that are included in
the second stimulus package (Thai Kem Kang: Strong Thai). The objective of the
gover‟ment's focus on the creative economy is to establish Thailand as the creative industrial
hub of ASEAN and to increase the share of GDP contributed by creativity from 12% to 20%
by the end of 2012.5 Promoting creative industries and supporting a more creative economy
are seen as the keys to Thailand‟s efforts to move beyond low and middle-level
manufacturing and agriculture towards higher-value-added activities. Such higher-valueadded business will allow higher wages while maintaining Thailand cost competitiveness and
increasing its economic clout in the region. According to the World Bank, moving up the
value-added ladder is critical for Thailand to avoid the “middle-income trap” that could stall
growth, depress income and affect quality of life. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva underlined
the importance of this focus on the creativity in his speech at the opening of “Five Year
OKMD Sanook Kid Settakij Sangsan” on 12 July 2009. He said:
“…The future of Thailand’s economy depends on her value-added capacity through
minimizing the use of natural resources. Thailand’s future is about its efficiency in utilizing
the knowledge, talents, management as well as her creativity to add and modify what we
already have. Such is a process of dynamic development which will strengthen Thailand’s
economy. The most important thing is that it is sustainable development. Development based
on this principle is a dynamic, strong, and sustainable process...”
3
The terms „Creative Industries‟ and „Creative Economy‟ are different. Creative industries refer to those
industries that are based on individual creativity, skill and talent, with the potential to create wealth and jobs
through developing intellectual property. Under the creative economy concept, a creative perspective can be
also applied to almost everything in the economy, such as the conventional manufacturing and conventional
service, town planning, and urban transport, etc. Still, the creative industries are at the heart of the creative
economy.
4
In Section 2, we have reviewed the examples of creative industries in 6 countries: Australia, Singapore, US,
China, India, and Philippines.
5
This figure based on the different definition and source of data using in the present Report.
1|
Nine Programs and the Realization of Creative Economy
The Thai government has announced the establishment of a “Creative Thailand
Committee” chaired by the prime minister with the objective of formulating and overseeing
policies based on the Creative Economy concept to support creative economic activities. The
government has a plan to develop the capability to produce unique goods and services able to
compete in world markets. This plan relies on the creation of value added from people‟s
intelligence and continuous learning under the policy framework of the Creative Economy.
The Office of Knowledge Management and Development, under the direction of the
government, has begun to move forward on nine programs to support the vision of the
Creative Economy throughout 2010.
It is therefore important to have a clearer understanding of the creative industries in
Thailand and their contribution both present and potential to the Creative Economy concept
and to the overall economy. This paper attempts to quantify that contribution through an
analysis of the input-output (I/O) tables for the selected industries, outline the value chains
for each of these industries, provide comparative data on creative industries in other
countries, assess the impact of violations of intellectual property and offer some initial
recommendations for government policy improvement that will help the government achieve
its stated objective of developing a creative economy.
1.1
Definition of Creative Industries
While a number of countries are actively promoting their creative industries, there is
no single definition of creative industries that is universally accepted. UNCTAD (2008) has
summarized recent four models or definitions that attempt to provide a systematic
understanding of the structural characteristics of the creative industries as follows.

Model 1: UK DCMS Model
This model is rooted in the United Kingdom policy to make its economy more
creative in the late 1990s. In this model, creative industries are defined as „those
requiring creativity, skill, and talent, with potential for wealth and job creation
through the exploitation of their intellectual property‟.

Model 2: Symbolic Texts Model
This model explains that cultural industries arise from the critical-cultural
industries tradition. The processes by which the culture of a society is formed and
transmitted are portrayed in the model via the industrial production, dissemination and
consumption of symbolic texts or messages, which are conveyed by means of media
such as film, broadcasting, and the press.

Model 3: Concentric Circles Model
This model is based on the proposition that it is the cultural values of cultural
goods that give these creative industries their most distinguishing characteristics. The
model asserts that creative ideas originate in the core creative arts in the form of
sound, text and image and that these ideas and influences diffuse outwards through a
series of layers or “concentric circles”, with the proportion of cultural to commercial
content decreasing as one moves further outwards from the centre.
2|

Model 4: WIPO copyright model
This model is based on industries involved directly or indirectly in the
creation, manufacture, production, broadcast and distribution of copyrighted works.
Furthermore, UNCTAD (2008) has also defined the creative industries, which is
called here as Model 5 as follows:

Model 5: UNCTAD Model
In this model, creative industries are those involved in the creation, production
or distribution of goods and services that use creativity and intellectual capital as
primary inputs. The creative industries constitute a set of knowledge-based activities,
focused on but not limited to arts, potentially generating revenues from trade and
intellectual property rights. They comprise tangible products and intangible
intellectual or artistic services with creative content, economic value and market
objectives. They range from traditional arts and crafts, publishing, music, and visual
and performing arts to more technology-intensive and service-oriented activities such
as film, television and radio broadcasting, new media and design. Moreover, creative
industries are at the cross-roads of artisan, services and industrial sectors that now
constitute a dynamic new sector in world trade. UNCTAD calls the creative economy
“an evolving concept based on creative assets” and says it can foster “income
generation, job creation and export earnings.”
Table 1 below lists the industries considered “creative” in each of the five models.
There are still ongoing debates about the scope of creative industries, and none of above
definitions is wrong. In this paper, we use the definition of Model 1: UK DCMS Model that
is used in the United Kingdom and Singapore6. Additionally, we have included science and
research and development (R&D) in our definition of creative industries as there are major
economic gains to be derived from intellectual property stemming from scientific research
and increased cooperation between science and industry.
6
Toh Mun Heng, Andrian Choo, and Terence Ho (2003), Economic Contributions of Singapore‟s Creative
Industries, Economics Division, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore.
3|
Table 1: Classification of the Creative Industries
1. UK DCMS
model
2. Symbolic texts
model
3. Concentric
circles model
Advertising
Architecture
Art and antiques
market
Crafts
Design
Fashion
Film and video
Music
Performing arts
Publishing
Software
Television and
radio
Video and
computer games
Core cultural
industries
Advertising
Film
Internet
Music
Publishing
Television and
radio
Video and
computer games
Peripheral
cultural industries
Creative arts
Borderline
cultural industries
Consumer
electronics
Fashion
Software
Sport
Core creative
arts
Literature
Music
Performing arts
Visual arts
Other core
cultural
industries
Film
Museums and
libraries
Wider cultural
industries
Heritage
services
Publishing
Sound recording
Television and
radio
Video and
computer games
Related
industries
Advertising
Architecture
Design
Fashion
Source: UNCTAD (2008)
4|
4. WIPO
copyright
Model
Core copyright
industries
Advertising
Collecting
societies
Film and video
Music
Performing arts
Publishing
Software
Television and
radio
Visual and
graphic art
Interdependent
copyright
industries
Blank recording
material
Consumer
electronics
Musical
instruments
Paper
Photocopiers,
photographic
equipment
Partial
copyright
industries
Architecture
Clothing,
footwear
Design
Fashion
Household
goods
Toys
5. UNCTAD Model
Heritage
– Traditional
cultural expressions:
arts and crafts,
festivals and
celebrations; and
– Cultural sites:
archaeological sites,
museums, libraries,
exhibitions, etc.
Arts
-Visual arts: painting,
sculpture,
photography and
antiques; and
– Performing arts:
live music, theatre,
dance, opera, circus,
Puppetry, etc.
Media
– Publishing and
printed media:
books,
press and other
publications; and
– Audiovisuals: film,
television, radio
and other
broadcasting.
Functional creations
– Design: interior,
graphic, fashion,
jewellery, toys;
– New media:
software, video
games, and digitalized
creative content;
– Creative services:
architectural,
advertising, cultural
and recreational,
creative research and
development (R&D),
digital and other
related creative
services.
1.2
Creative Industries in Thailand
Since our analysis will be based on an Input-Output table (I/O table), the choices of
sectors must be consistent with both our selected definition in Section 1.1 as well as the
classification of the sectors in the I/O table and the availability of data. Accordingly, the
creative industries selected for this study are shown in Table 2 and a more detailed
breakdown of these sectors is shown in the Appendix.
Table 2: Thailand‟s creative industries in the present study
I-O Code
Description of Industry
080
Wooden furniture and fixture
083
Printing and publishing
088
Drug and Medicine
132
Jewelry and related articles
168
Research1/
172
Motion picture production
173
Movie theatre
174
Radio, TV, and related services
-
Information Technology2/
Source: NESDB
1/
The research sector will be discussed as one of enabling factors of Thailand‟s creative
industries.
2/
There is no separation of Information Technology in the 180 sector I-O table. However,
we included this sector to see its contributions to Thailand‟s economy through the National
Statistical Office (NSO) survey data. However, the data seem to be underrepresented.
The present report is divided into two parts according to the main activities involved
in the study. Part I covers Activity 1: Measuring the economic contributions of Thailand‟s
creative industries. The structure of this Part is as follows. The remainder of this Section
(Subsection 1.2) provides an overview of Thailand‟s creative industries. Section 2 reviews
the creative industries of six example developed and developing countries. Section 3 presents
analysis of the estimated 2008 version of the Input-Output table, including descriptions of the
data and methodologies used. The economic contributions of Thailand‟s creative industries
are discussed in Section 4.
Part II of this Report presents the findings from Activity 2: Assess the loss due to IPR
infringement in four industry cases. Section 5 provides the framework of analysis and the
monetary effects of IPR infringement. In the remainder of this part we present a more indepth study of four industry cases to examine the broader effects of IPR infringement.
Information on the movie, music, Information Technology (IT), and pharmaceutical
industries are presented in Sections 6, 7, 8, 9 respectively. Section 10 then reviews
implications for Thailand‟s development and offers some recommendations for improvement.
5|
1.2.1 Wooden Furniture and Fixture Industry (I-O code: 080)
1.2.1.1 Market Structure and Value Chain
In 2008, the production of the wooden furniture and fixture industry was
approximately 10.06 million pieces, a decrease of 39.76% from the previous year. The recent
financial crisis in the United States led to global economic recession and shrinking
purchasing power, especially in Thailand‟s major export markets such as the United States,
Japan, and the United Kingdom. However, domestic sales of the wooden furniture and fixture
industry in 2008 reached approximately 3.35 million pieces, an increase of 39.58% from the
previous year due to growth in the high-end market. Demand also increased because of a
series of housing and furniture fairs and the government stimulus package boosting the real
estate sector.
Table 3: Manufacturing and sales of the wooden furniture and fixture industry
Unit: million pieces
2006
2007
2008e1/
Manufacturing
Domestic sales
18.46
3.73
16.70
2.40
10.06
3.35
Source: IT center, Office of Industrial Economics
Note: 1/ estimated data
Exports of the wooden furniture and fixture industry in 2008 totaled 1,109.39 million
US dollars, a decrease of 3.55% from the previous year apparently due to the economic
downturn in major export markets, such as the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States.
The export of transformed wooden products grew at the rate of 4.32%. The determinant of
such growth is an expansion of the alternative markets such as Australia, ASEAN, South Asia
and, Middle East.
Table 4: Exports of the wood and furniture industry
Industry
1. the wooden and fixture
2. the wooden product
3. the transformed wooden
Total
2006
2007
1,198.69
364.86
697.32
2,160.87
1,150.16
379.58
807.37
2,337.11
Unit: Million USD
2008e1/
1,109.39
357.44
971.41
2,438.24
Source: Ministry of Commerce
Note: /1 estimated data
In 2008, imports of wood and wooden products were worth 679.15 million USD, an
increase of 11.23% from the previous year. The major import was the wooden materials,
which are mostly the solid wood including logs and the wooden products. Logs were
imported from Myanmar and Malaysia, while the wooden products and the transformed
wooden products came from Malaysia, Laos and, the United States.
6|
Table 5: Imports of the wood and furniture Industry
Unit: Million USD
2008e1/
Industry
2006
2007
1. logs
2. the transformed wooden products
3. fiber woods
4. other wooden product
110.76
374.97
96.34
90.94
356.27
113.39
124.52
370.15
126.42
45.13
49.99
58.06
627.20
610.59
679.15
Total
Source: Ministry of Commerce
Note: /1 estimated data
Thailand‟s wooden furniture and fixture industry has shown steady growth for both
exports and domestic consumption. Thailand has advantages due to easier availability of
tropical hardwoods and wood from rubber plantations as well as high-quality skilled labor.
Growth of the Thai real estate sector has driven domestic demand. International demand for
Thai furniture has been driven by cost advantages coupled with the ability of Thai
manufacturers to meet international product quality standards.
The Thai furniture industry includes both small, craft-based firms and large volume
producers. Mass producing furniture became a viable manufacturing strategy with the
development of flat-pack or ready-to-assemble furniture. This innovation led firms to design,
manufacture, and ship products in large quantities. Firms which mass produce furniture tend
to supply products for the low to medium-price markets. At the same time Thai solid wood
furniture manufacturers have retained important niche market segments for high-end,
expensive and design-led products. The value chain of this industry can be described as in
Figure 1 below.
Manufacturers can be categorized into three groups;



7|
original equipment manufacturers (OEM), which produce using the
customers‟ designs and specifications for sale under the customers‟ brand,
original design manufacturers (ODM), which have internal design capability
for sale under the customers‟ brand and,
original brand manufacturers (OBM), which have all the capabilities needed,
from design to manufacturing, for sale under their own brand.
Figure 1: Thai wooden furniture and fixture industry value chain
Trademark
Invention Patent
IPR
Product Design Patent
Position
Forestry
Machinery
, Seeds,
Water
Sawmills
Production
Chemicals,
Machinery,
Logistic,
Quality
Unilab,
OLIC)
Design,
Machinery,
Logistic,
Quality,
Paint and
adhesive,
etc.
Healthcare)
Distribution
Channels
Marketing
and Sales
Domestic
wholesale,
Foreign
wholesale,
Domestic
retail,
Foreign retail
, OLIC, US
summit,
Pacific
Healthcare
1.2.1.2 IP system and the wooden furniture and fixture industry
)
Source: UNIDO (2003)
In the above value chain, design is one of the most important functions needed to
upgrade products and increase value added. Many innovative technologies are involved in
production. Both of these functions require creativity that is, in turn, related to the intellectual
property (IP) system. The protection of IP in the design process is typically sought through
the patent system.
A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a government to an inventor for a
limited period of time in exchange for a public disclosure of the invention concerned. Under
the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, patents
should be available in WTO member states for all inventions, in all fields of technology, and
protection available should be available for at least 20 years. The invention must be new and
useful or industrially applicable. The right granted to a patentee in most countries is the
exclusive right to prevent others from making, using, selling, or distributing the patented
invention without permission. However, some other types of intellectual property rights are
referred to as patents in some jurisdictions, such as industrial design rights that are called
design patents in some places, including Thailand.
A design patent right is a type of intellectual property right that protects the visual
design of objects. A design patent protects such design elements as a shape, configuration or
composition of pattern or color, or a combination of pattern and color in three dimensional
forms. A design patent can be a two- or three-dimensional pattern used to make a product,
8|
industrial commodity or handicraft. An invention patent generally involves the process of
production that can style elements, structure or mechanism of the product, and the
manufacturing processes involved. The scope of invention patents covers the improvement of
products as well as the creation of new products.
For original brand manufacturers (OBM), IP protection can also be extended to
trademarks. A trademark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business
organization, or other legal entity to identify to consumers that the products or services with
the trademark originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from
those of other entities. A trademark is a type of intellectual property, and typically includes a
name, design, word, phrase, logo, symbol or image. The owner of a registered trademark may
sue for trademark infringement to prevent unauthorized use of that trademark. Registration is
not required, but an unregistered mark may be protectable only within the geographical area
where it has been used or in geographical areas into which it may be reasonably expected to
expand. Businesses typically use their trademarks to add value to their products or services.
1.2.2 Printing and Publishing Industry (I-O code: 083)
1.2.2.1 Market Structure and Value Chain
The printing and publishing industry has developed steadily in support of economic
and social development with particularly important roles in the areas of education,
entertainment and information and knowledge dissemination. The main factor in the
industry‟s most recent growth was the opening of bookstores in 2007 and 2008, especially in
convenience stores. The value of trade book sales in 2007 was around 18 billion baht, of
which 88% was obtained from the sales of 110 large and medium-sized publishing houses.
The rest of trade sales were generated by 381 small-size publishers who were registered
members of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT)
Table 6: Numbers of publishers categorized by size
Category
Large Publishing House1/
Medium Publishing House2/
Small Publishing House3/
Total
2003
2004
2005
Unit: houses
2006
2007
20
44
310
374
25
54
354
433
30
65
380
475
36
61
395
492
40
70
381
491
Source: PUBAT
Note: 1/ revenue more than THB 100 million
2/
revenue more than THB 30 million
3/
revenue less than THB 30 million
In 2007, about 955 new titles were launched per month. Surveys indicate that, on
average, Thais read only two books for pleasure and spend about 285 baht on books per year.
Table 7: Amount of money spent on books (per head)
Category
Book expense/year
Source: PUBAT
9|
2003
2004
2005
2006
Unit: THB
2007
166.42
210.55
239.78
259.93
285.54
There was a steady increase in the number of publishers and bookstores in Thailand
during 2003–2007. The overall growth rate of publishers was 31.2% and of bookstores was
182% over the five years. The introduction of “Book Smile” in 7-11 chain stores in 2007
contributed significantly to the dramatic increase in that year.
Table 8: Numbers of publishers and bookstores in Thailand
Category
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Publisher
Bookstores
Total
374
678
1,052
433
759
1.192
475
848
1,323
492
955
1,447
491
1,913
2,404
Source: PUBAT
Table 9: Numbers of new titles launched in Thailand
Category
2003
2004
2005
2006
Unit: titles
2007
New titles/year
New titles/day
New titles/publisher/year
10,108
27.70
27.02
11,103
30.40
25.64
11,651
31.90
24.53
11,201
30.80
22.83
11,455
31.40
23.33
Source: PUBAT
In comparison with Thailand‟s GDP, the size of the book business in Thailand is
small, but it appears relatively immune to the ups and downs of the economy. The important
factors influencing the book business in Thailand seem to be the government‟s education
policy, authors‟ creativity, efficient book business management and networking in the book
business. The value chain of the printing and publishing industry is shown in Figure 2 below.
.
Table 10: Book revenue and Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Category
Book revenue
GDP
Book revenue/GDP
Source: PUBAT
10 |
2003
10,500
5,928,975
0.17
2004
2005
2006
13,100
15,000
16,900
6,503,488 7,107,962 7,716,225
0.20
0.21
0.22
Unit: THB
2007
18,000
8,485,200
0.21
Figure 2: Thai printing and publishing industry value chain
IPR
Copyright
Position
Content
Creation
Creativity
Production
R&D,
Machinery,
Logistic,
Quality,
Printing
technology
Distribution
Channels
Wholesale,
Retail,
Logistic
Marketing
and Sales
Internet,
Publishing,
etc.
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
1.2.2.2 IP system and the printing and publishing industry
In the publishing industry, especially the book industry, the business process is
closely related to copyright. Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection that gives
the author of an original work exclusive rights over that work for a particular time period,
including its publication, distribution and adaptation. After that period, the work enters the
public domain. Copyright applies to the expression of an idea or information that is
substantive and discrete and accessible through a medium. Some jurisdictions also recognize
the "moral rights" of the creator of a work, such as the right to be credited for the work.
Copyright may provide protection to a wide range of creative, intellectual, scientific, or
artistic forms, or "works". Different jurisdictions have somewhat different rules, but
copyrighted works typically include novels, plays, poems, articles, theses, reports, musical
composition, audio recordings, dances, paintings, drawings, sculpture, photographs, and
software. Copyright has been standardized internationally, including in Thailand, to last 50
years after the authors‟ death. In some countries, copyright owners must go through required
formalities to establish copyright, but most, including Thailand, recognize copyright in any
completed work, without formal registration. Generally, copyright is enforced as a civil
matter, though some jurisdictions do apply criminal sanctions. However, in the case that the
work was created by several authors, the protection continues to subsist until the 50 years
after the death of the last surviving co-author. But if every co-author died before the
publication of the work, the copyright protection is provided for a period of fifty years after
the first publication.
In Thailand, the provisions on infringement of copyright in the Copyright Act B.E.
2537, cover reproduction or adaptation, communication to the public, letting of the original or
11 |
copies, re-broadcasting, selling, distributing and importing the copyrighted work. However,
there are exceptions from copyright infringement. Copyright-related action that is not an
exploitation of the work and does not any render negative impact on the copyright owner is
not considered an infringement of copyright. Such actions include personal use, use as
questions in an examination as well as for not-for-profit research, teaching, studying,
commenting, criticizing and reporting as long as there is an acknowledgement of the
copyright ownership of the work.
In 2008, research showed that Thailand has become one of the few pirate book
exporters in the world. Shipments of high-quality, pirated versions of academic and
professional books from Thailand have been seized. Domestically, illegal photocopying,
along with unauthorized translations, adaptations and compilations has a significant role in
the educational market. The International Intellectual Property Alliance estimated that losses
due to book piracy in Thailand amounted to about 37 million USD in 2008, making Thailand
the eighth leading book copyright violator in the world. IIPA and the publishers have urged
government initiatives to achieve a reduction in the level of piracy, but would like to have
input prior to the launch of any initiatives, given the important interests at stake for copyright
owners in general and publishers in particular.
1.2.3 Pharmaceutical Industry (I-O code 088)
1.2.3.1 Market Structure and Value Chain
In 2008, the pharmaceutical industry manufactured 25,184.5 tons of product, a
decrease of 2.2% from the previous year. Sales totaled 24,480.5 tons of products, a decrease
from the previous year of 1.1%. The costs of making pharmaceutical products increased
because of cost factors such as materials and transportation. Consequently, some
manufacturing moved to lower cost countries, such as Indonesia.
Table 11: Manufacturing of the pharmaceutical products
Type of Product
Pill
Potion
Capsule
Injection
Tincture
Cream
Powder
Total
2006
5,452.7
13,007.7
570.5
409.5
122.5
2,082.8
3,821.3
25,467.0
Source: IT center, Office of Industrial Economics
12 |
2007
5,823.0
12,471.4
652.9
431.6
117.7
2,343.4
3,906.6
25,746.6
Unit: Tons
2008e
5,820.6
12,572.2
746.8
506.3
108.8
2,076.0
3,353.8
25,184.5
Table 12: Sales of the pharmaceutical products
Type of Product
Pill
Potion
Capsule
Injection
Tincture
Cream
Powder
Total
Unit: Tons
2008 1/
2006
2007
5,256.5
14,927.4
668.9
310.2
122.9
2,140.5
466.0
23,892.4
5,617.4
15,348.7
771.2
309.4
115.5
2,071.5
514.5
24,748.2
5,735.2
15,319.3
782.4
347.9
108.6
1,707.4
479.7
24,480.5
Source: IT center, Office of Industrial Economics
1/
Estimated data
Imports of pharmaceutical products in 2008 reached 33,481 million baht, an increase
of 21.3% from the previous year. The major origins of Thai pharmaceutical imports were
France, the United States, Germany, Switzerland and, the United Kingdom. Together these
countries accounted for 45% of total imports. Most of the imported products were higher-end
patented pharmaceuticals that cannot be produced domestically. Double-digit growth of
pharmaceutical imports was caused by a national health campaign and the growth of private
hospitals.
Exports of pharmaceutical products in 2008 were worth 5,446.8 million baht, up
12.1% from the previous year. The major export destinations for Thai pharmaceutical
exports were Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Philippines. This
group of countries represented approximately 70% of total exports. The highest growth
export market was the Philippines because Thai entrepreneurs found it relatively easier to
register their pharmaceutical products there. However, Thai entrepreneurs have further to go
to upgrade product standards to the international level and to be able to compete with
producers in Malaysia and Singapore.
Table 13: Imports and Exports of the Pharmaceutical Products
Unit: millions THB
Imports
Exports
Source: Customs
1/
Note: Estimated
2006
2007
20081/
26,239.7
4,340.7
27,604.5
4,860.1
33,481.0
5,446.8
Generally, drug manufacturers in Thailand can be classified into four groups:
 Multi-national corporations (MNCs) that produce active ingredients and create
pharmaceutical formulations.
 Thai-owned companies that primarily focus on producing pharmaceutical
formulations and, to a lesser extent, on manufacturing active ingredients.
 Government agencies, the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO)
and the Defense Pharmaceutical Factory (DPF), which primarily prepare
pharmaceutical formulations for the public medical establishment. However,
the GPO still has the benefits of the government‟s former regulation of the
13 |
pharmaceutical market and continues to hold a near monopoly over supplies to
the public sector. According to regulation, public hospitals are legally obliged
to purchase 80 percent of their pharmaceuticals from the GPO and only 20
percent from the private organizations.
The pharmaceutical industry in Thailand is mostly involved in formulating active
ingredients and manufacturing generic products. The number of local manufacturing
companies is limited, thus Thailand relies on imports. The domestic pharmaceutical industry
does not undertake much R&D, largely because neighboring countries, such as Singapore
offers companies stronger incentives and better protection of intellectual property.
Figure 3: Thai Pharmaceutical Industry Structure and Value Chain
Thai Pharmaceutical Industry
Private enterprises
Government enterprises
Government
Pharmaceutical Office
(GPO)
IPR
CBD,
Invention Patent
Defense
Pharmaceutical Factory
(DPF)
Compulsory
licensing
Local
companies
Multi-national
companies
Trademark
Position
R&D
Production
Distribution
Channels
Marketing
and Sales
GPO, MNCs
(Diethelm,
ZuelligPhar
ma, OLIC,
US summit,
Pacific
Healthcare)
MNCs
(Diethelm,
Pharmalink,
OLIC,
Innovex /
Quintiles)
Main players
University
, MNCs
GPO, MNCs
(Boots,
Takeda,
Otsuka,
Unilab,
OLIC)
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute and Teera Chakajnarodom (2006)
14 |
, OLIC, US
summit,
Pacific
Healthcar
e)
Consumption
1.2.3.2 IP System and the pharmaceutical industry
Thailand has signed the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) under which
the country is obliged to give communities and individuals‟ ownership rights to indigenous
plant species that are later exploited for commercial purposes. Thailand has been a CBD
7
party by ratification since January, 2004 . Thailand has a National Biodiversity Strategy and
produces the National Biodiversity Reports in accordance with the convention.
Thailand has also signed the World Trade Organization‟s agreement on the TradeRelated Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights, commonly known as TRIPS. The agreement is
supposed to protect the rights to pharmaceutical processes and products. However, one
provision in TRIPS, for the use of the patented products without authorization of the patent
holder, permits countries in a health crisis situation to use compulsory licensing to prevent the
exclusive rights conferred by the patent from making the product too costly. As permitted by
TRIPS, recent Thai government policy has sought to lower the price of medicines through
compulsory licensing, which allows the government to override a patent to meet public health
needs, especially of the underprivileged who cannot afford expensive pharmaceuticals.
Implementation of compulsory licensing in Thailand has aroused considerable controversy,
with major pharmaceutical companies protesting Thailand‟s use of this provision in TRIPS.
Table 14: Approved Registration of New Drug and New Generic Drug
Unit: Number of registration
Year
New Drug
New Generic Drug
Total
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
29
27
32
27
24
28
5
12
8
22
12
17
34
39
40
49
36
45
Source: The Impact of Thai-US FTA on Local Generic Drug Industry (2007)
From the number of the approved registrations of new drugs and new generic drugs, it
can be concluded that the utilization of patents for pharmaceuticals is inefficient. The rate of the
new pharmaceutical innovations registered through the patent process is quite low. It is presumed
that the main determinants are the complications and inconvenience of the Thai patent system.
7
http://www.cbd.int/countries/?country=th
15 |
Table 15: Number of Drug Registration by Patented Status
Year
Patented
Classifieds
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
1
3
2
1
0
0
2
1
4
1
0
2
Under
Consideration
0
1
1
1
0
0
No
Information1/
31
34
33
46
36
43
Total
34
39
40
49
36
45
Source: The Impact of Thai-US FTA on Local Generic Drug Industry (2007)
Note: 1/ Not under consideration yet.
However, when invention patents expire, trademarks come into play, providing value by
supporting a brand and protecting the brand owner. Because consumers tend drugs from a trusted
brand, trademarks can create enormous benefits to pharmaceutical companies who own those
medicines.
1.2.4 Jewelry and related Articles Industries (I-O code: 132)
The jewelry industry has generated significant income from exports because of the
Thai industry‟s skills in jewelry design, gem cutting and glyptography. The export value of
jewelry is about 8,270.07 million US$ or 277.874 billion baht8. Some 80% of the companies
in the gem and jewelry industry are the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). About
48,800 workers are employed in these companies9. According to Thailand‟s NESDB I-O
table, Jewelry and Related Articles are defined as precious stones, diamonds, pearls, articles
of jewelry and parts thereof, articles of silver, articles of gold, articles of other precious
metals, limitation jewelry, synthetic precious stones, unwrought gold and other articles of
precious metals. Gems constitute the largest share of the exports of Thailand‟s jewelry and
related articles sector (see Figure 4). The value chain is shown in Figure 5.
1.2.4.1 Market Structure and Value Chain
Gems constitute the largest share of the exports of Thailand‟s jewelry and related
articles sector (see Figure 4). The value chain is shown in Figure 5.
8
9
Information and communication technology centre with corporation of the customs department, Ministry of Commerce.
The Office of Industrial Economics
16 |
Figure 4: Thailand‟s Export Structure for jewelry and related article in 2007
Source: Department of Export Promotion.
Due the depletion of indigenous raw materials, most raw materials are now imported.
Therefore, Thailand has had to focus on its capabilities in gem cutting, jewelry setting and
jewelry design in order to maintain sales to both domestic and foreign markets. Currently, the
Thai domestic market accounts for roughly 20% of Thailand‟s gem and jewelry production
with the rest being exported. The major export markets are Hong Kong, Australia, Switzerland,
the United States, and Belgium and the value of these markets has grown significantly over the
past three years as shown in Table 16.
17 |
Figure 5: Thai Precious stones and Jewelry Industry Value Chain
Trademark
Trade secret
IPR
Position
Mining
Selecting and
Gem cutting
Precious stone
(i.e. Diamond,
color stones,
pearl, precious
metal)
Sawing,
Bruting
(shape
roughly)
and cutting
Patent
Jewelry
Manufacturing
Distributing
Design,
Logistic,
Quality,
Domestic
market
(20%),
foreign
market (80%)
Marketing
and Sales
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
Table 16: Exports value of gem and Jewelry categorizing by countries
No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Country
Hong Kong
Australia
Switzerland
U.S.A
Belgium
Other
Total
Value: Million USD
2006
2007
370.88
897.70
286.61
603.50
208.90
581.97
938.83
1,026.81
270.25
269.73
1592.82
2002.04
3,668.29
5,381.75
2008
1,527.37
1,431.64
1,258.97
1,075.96
316.96
2659.17
8,270.07
Source: Information and communication technology centre with corporation of the customs
department, Ministry of Commerce
18 |
Figure 6: Export‟s value of gem and Jewelry since 2005-2009
Source: Department of Export Promotion.
Thailand has been famous for gem cutting for a long time and has become a global
center for trading gems and jewelry. The lack of research and development (R&D) in the
industry, however, does not bode well for the future, especially since Thailand does not have
a competitive edge in wages for low and medium-skilled workers compared to neighboring
countries.
1.2.4.2 IP System and the jewelry and related article industry
The gem and jewelry industry is considered particularly creative in that articles need
creativity in both the pattern of gem cutting and the ornament design. In this regard, IP rights
have become more important in supporting this industry. In comparison to mass-produced,
machine-made products, it is much more difficult to produce high-quality counterfeits of
jewelry due to demanding skill requirements. So, while good designs can still be copied, it is
somewhat easier to limit the number of copies that a counterfeiter can make. Also, trade
secrets play an important role in the gem selection and stone treatment processes.
1.2.5 Motion Picture Production and Movie Theatres (I-O codes: 172 and 173)
1.2.5.1 Market Structure and Value Chain
Because there is a close relationship between the motion picture production industry
and the movie theatre business, this review considers both industries concurrently. We
describe the industry value chain and information such as the market share of Thai movies
and Hollywood movies, the number of movies in the theatres per year and the types of
movies shown.
19 |
From Figure 7, it can be seen that the Thai movie industry has three main parts:
production, distribution and marketing, and exhibition. In the other words, the movie value
chain begins with a film-script and ends with the audience experience. More details are
shown below.
Figure 7: Value Chain of Thai Film Industries
Pre-production,
Distribution
Production,
And
Post-production
Marketing
Motion Picture
Production
Theater
Consumption by
Channel
Audiences both
at home and in
Other
theaters
Channels
Movie Theaters
Source: Adapted Eliashberg et al. (2006)
Motion Picture Production
Figure 8: Motion Picture Production Industry Value Chain
Copyright
IPR
Trademark
Pre-production
Production
Content
Creation
Film
Post-production
Position
Film Plotting,
Scriptwriting,
Audition etc.
Sound Mix
production
Dressing,
lighting,
timing, acting
etc.
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
20 |
Film editing
The
background
music of a
film
Distributing &
Exhibiting
Theatre, CDs,
DVDs,
Generally, movie production requires time, talent, creativity and cooperation with
many partners in order to be successful. Although, there are several differences in details,
production also has three main parts: pre-production, production, and post-production.

Pre-production
This first part prepares for actual movie production. It begins with a movie
concept, usually embodied in a film-script, which then moves to budgeting and
financing, casting, finding locations and hiring the production crew. The key roles in
this first part are: scriptwriter, director, producer, financier, distributor, actors and
actresses.

Production
In this part, the movie concept is converted to sound and images on film. Key
roles are director, producer, cinematographer, actors, actresses, set-makers, special
effects experts, camera operators, lighting experts, costume designers, stunt persons
and many others who all must work cohesively together.

Post-production
Before the film will be shown in the theater, the last part of the process has to be
completed. Key roles are director, editor, special effects experts, composer, musician and
sound expert.
During 2002 – 2007, five companies took the major share of motion picture
production in Thailand: i) Sahamongkol Film, ii) R.S. iii) GTH, iv) Five Star and v)
Pranakorn Film as shown below. Table 17 demonstrates that the Thai motion picture industry
is an oligopoly.
Table 17: A Number of Thai films in the theatres during 2002 – 2007
Company
Sahamongkol film
R.S.
GTH
Five Star
Pranakorn Film
Total Big 5
Others
Total
2002
2003
7
14
1
6
0
1
6
5
1
2
15
28
(68.1%) (58.3%)
7
22
20
48
2004
12
5
3
1
1
26
(57.7
%)
19
45
2005
14
5
3
3
4
27
(71.0%)
11
38
2006
18
5
6
2
4
36
(81.8
%)
8
44
2007
15
4
6
2
7
34
(73.9
%)
12
46
Source: Entertain Magazine 2003-2007 and
http://www.pantip.com/cafe/chalermthai/release/release-2008.html
The revenues of the five major production companies are shown in Table 18
Sahamongkol Film generated the highest revenues, with over THB 500 million per year in
both 2005 and 2006.
21 |
Table 18: Revenue from ticket sales by company, 2003 – 2007
Unit: Million THB
Company
2003
2004
2005
2006
Sahamongkol film
265.0
266.0
558.6
509.9
R.S.
133.5
106.5
137.9
195.1
GTH
137.6
225.8
132.0
287.0
Five Star
48.3
34.2
30.7
21.5
Pranakorn Film
22.0
12.0
174.7
63.3
Total Big 5
606.40
644.5
1,102.4
1,161.5
(58.3%)
(57.7 %)
(71.0 %) (81.8 %)
Others
20
19
11
8
Total
48
45
38
44
Source: Entertain Magazine 2003-2007
Movie Theatre (Exhibitions)
With the development of entertainment technologies, are no longer limited to distribution to theaters.
The value chain of movie theatre industry is shown in Figure 9. Other distribution channels have
become popular including VCDs, DVDs (both sales and rental), cable TV and free-to-air TV.
Meanwhile, the downloading of movies from the Internet is not available, but this channel also
appears to be growing. The point is that the various distribution and exhibition technologies each
bring with them new challenges to the protection of the intellectual property in movie production.
Figure 9: Movie theatre industry value chain
IPR
Copyrights
Position
Location
Capital
city
Designing &
Constructing
Cinema
selecting
Audience
Exhibition
Architecture,
interior
decoration,
chair etc.
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
Table 19: Number of Branches and Theater for two main theater chain companies
Company
Major Cineplex Plc,
S.F. Cinema city
Co, Ltd.
Name of Theater Chain
Major Cineplex, EGV,
Paragon Cineplex and
Esplanade Cineplex
S.F. Cinema City, S.F.
World Cinema and S.F.X.
Cinema
Total
Sources: Annual Report No.56-1 by year 2008
22 |
No. Branches
No. Theaters
34
235
Max No.
Seats
58,850
11
90
NA
46
325
NA
Most of Thailand‟s theaters belong to two companies. The first is Major Cineplex
public company and the second is S.F. Cinema City Company limited. In its annual report,
Major Cineplex reported a net profit in 2008 of 626.35 million baht.
The most popular movies distributed around the world have originated from
Hollywood. The relative market share of Thai and Hollywood films is in Figure 10. It
confirms that most of the movies watched in Thailand still come from Hollywood and earn
62% of total revenue
Figure 10: Market share of films categorized by country in 2008
Source: Entertain Magazine 2005-2007
There are few Thai movies that can be exhibited in foreign countries. Two exceptions
were the action films, “Ongbak” and “Tom Yum Kung,” which received revenues of USD
46.647 million from distribution outside of Thailand.
Table 20: Revenue from world exhibition
Movie‟s Name
Ongbak
Tom Yum Kung
Total
Revenue (USD)
20,112,926
26.534,545
46,647,471
Source: Box Office Mojo.
(http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ongbak.htm)
1.2.5.2 IP System and the Motion Picture and Movie Theatres Industries
Most intellectual property piracy in the motion picture production and movie theater
industry comes in the process of distribution in which the piracy is in terms of copyright
violation. Table 21 below shows statistics on suppression of Intellectual Property Rights
violations.
23 |
Table 21: Arrests for Intellectual Property Rights Violations
Number of arrests
under copyright
act B.E. 2537
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Total
2,515
3,363
4,142
5,179
5,647
6,459
4,614
31,919
Source: Department of Intellectual property
Much research has shown that piracy in the movie industry is due to ineffective law
enforcement. Statistics from the department of intellectual property show that arrests for IPR
violations had increased over the six years. However, it is hard to identity precisely what the causes of
increasing number of arrests are.
1.2.6 Radio and TV and Related Industries (I-O code: 174)
10
1.2.6.1 Market Structure and Value Chain
Radio and television constitute a large part of Thailand‟s service sector. The relative
size of these media industries can be determined by the size of advertisement budget spent for
each medium. It appears that total advertising spending in 2005 and 2006 were 85,602 and
89,840 million baht respectively. Advertising on television made up the majority of all
advertising, as shown in Table 22.
Table 22: Advertising Budget categorized by type of media for 2005 and 2006
Type of Media
1. TV
2. Newspaper
3. Radio
4. Magazine
5. Theatre
6. Other
Total
2006
Million
(percent)
THB
53,296
59.32
15,432
17.18
6,588
7.33
6,140
6.83
2,404
2.68
5,980
6.66
89,840
100.00
2005
Million
(percent)
THB
50.020
58.43
16,248
18.98
6,329
7.47
6,148
7.18
1,443
1.69
6,794
6.25
85,602
100.00
Change
(percent)
6.55
-5.02
3.07
-0.13
66.60
11.75
4.95
Source: Nielsen Media Research (Thailand) Ltd. 11
The value chain of the radio and television industry is shown in Figure 11. Producers
create programs to be broadcast on radio or television. The audience watches the programs
along with advertisements and purchases advertised goods. The producers use this income to
pay the broadcaster or rights owner for the advertisement. The broadcaster then uses the
advertisement revenues to cover for the production expenses of the program.
10
This sector in the I-O table includes music industry. We will discuss here the radio and TV and related
industries, and then music industry in Section 7.
11
Nielsen Media Research (Thailand) Ltd., (2550) “Advertising Valued for Radio and TV” (in Thai)
24 |
Figure 11: Radio, TV and Related Services Industries Value Chain
Copyright
IPR
Production
Broadcasting
Position
Content
Creation
Program
Documentary,
Education,
Entertainment
etc.
Radio station
, online
broadcasting
TV stations/
Cable/Satellite
TV
Audience
Advertising
Radio station
, online
broadcasting
TV stations/
Cable/Satellite
TV
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
The creative part of this industry has the task of creating and realizing program
concepts and determines the content of the program for the producers. Types of programs are
categorized by style and contents in Table 23.
Table 23: Type of program categorized by style and content
News and
Documentary
Program
Imaginative Media or
Entertainment Program
Audience
Participation and
Expert Program
Advertising
Program
- News, News Talk,
News Critics
- Documentary
-
Soap Opera
- Phone in
- Goods Advertising
-
Comedy
- Education Media
-
Movie
- Discussion and
Opinion
- Consumer
Protection
- Conversation
-
Cartoon
- Services
Advertising
- Services
Advertising
- Campaign for Social
Work
- Description
-
Game Show
Educational Entertainment
Music and Song
Sports
Source: Ubornrat (2547)12
12
Ubornrat Siriyuwasak (2547). Mass Communication Media, Culture and Society, Chulalongkorn University
Press. (in Thai).
25 |
Presently, there are at least three types of radio business, classified by the channel
owner‟s participation in the production process as follows:
1. The radio programs and all expenditures are produced and paid for by channel
owner.
2. Channel owner gives a full concession to firms for producing contents.
3. Channel owner gives a partial concession to jointly produce contents.
From the report of the government public relations department, it is found that there
are three major companies renting FM as shown in Table 24.
Table 24: Major Companies classified by the channel
FM owner‟s participation in the production process
Company
1. GMM Media Plc.
2. BEC World Plc.
3. R.S. Promotion
Number of FM Channels
6
4
3
Source: TDRI (2002)
The amplitude modulation (AM) channels are mostly rented by three major
companies as shown in Table 25.
Table 25: Major Companies classified by the channel AM owner‟s
participation in the production process
Company
1. R.K. Media Advertising Ltd.
2. Sila Marketing Ltd.
3. Fatima Broadcasting
International Ltd.
Number of AM Channels
12
12
8
Source: TDRI (2002)
Free-to-air television in Thailand comprises six channels. During 2005-2006 free
television has been dominated by Channel 7 and Channel 3 with the two capturing almost
50% of total market share.
Table 26: Market Share for Free TV during 2005 – 2006
Station
Channel 3
Channel 5
Channel 7
Modern Nine TV
Channel 11
ITV
2005
22 %
16 %
28 %
14 %
3%
17 %
Source: Nielsen Media Research (Thailand) Ltd.
26 |
2006
21 %
16 %
28 %
14 %
3%
18 %
1.2.6.2 IP system and radio, TV, and related services industries
New technologies are playing an important role in the radio and TV industries. These
new technologies, such as the Internet, cable television and optical discs allow additional
impacts or externalities beyond the original radio or TV broadcast that pays for the
production. The positive impact comes with the production companies ability to earn
additional income from these new technology channels. The negative external impact comes
from illegal production and sales of discs or bootlegging signals from cable TV. Another type
of piracy is recording and distributing radio or TV programs without permission of the
content owner.
The music industry suffers from the same problem. Since CDs and tapes remain a key
method of content distribution, the piracy problems in the music industry are similar to those
of CDs or DVDs in the movie industry.
1.2.7 Information Technology (IT) Industry
Generally, information technology (IT) is defined as the process, system or tools
related to managing electronic data for analysis or decision making. As computer technology
has developed, the definition of information technology has expanded along with the
capabilities of computer software and hardware. The National Statistical Office (NSO) under
the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) has defined ICT
industry to cover hardware, software, IT services, and telecommunication services. As this
study will focus on IT industry only, we have defined IT industry to cover hardware,
software, and IT services only.
Table 27: IT Industry coverage in this study
Hardware
IT Hardware
 PC (Desktop/laptop)
 Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA)
 Server/Workstation
 Monitor
 Printers
 Data storages
 Other peripherals
Telecommunication
equipment
 Data communication
equipment
 Telecommunication
infrastructure
equipment
 Mobile phone
Software
Packaged software
 Operating system
including embedded)
 Programming tools
 Utilities
 Applications
 Others
Outsourced software
development
 Computer
programming
 World wide web page
design
 Others
IT Service






Hardware and system
consultancy
Training and education
service
Data processing
Database activities
Supporting services
(such as maintenance)
Renting of computers
Source: Adapted from NSO‟s 2008 Survey on Information and Communication Technology Industry
27 |
1.2.7.1 Market Structure and Value Chain
In Thailand, the market structure of the IT industry is as shown in Table 28. From
2005-2008, domestic consumption was less than exports. In the domestic market, major
production is hardware, 89.66% of total market value in 2008, followed by software, 4.84 %,
and IT services, 5.49% respectively. The market structure of Thailand‟s IT industry,
therefore, is at present rather focused on hardware items. The main importers of Thai
hardware goods are the US, Laos, and Japan. The figures below show that the great majority
of Thai-produced software is for the domestic market. Figure 12 exhibits a simplified value
chain of the industry.
Table 28: Market Structure of Thai IT Industry
Unit: Million THB
Domestic Market
2005
2006
2007
2008E
Total
Hardware
Software
IT
services
Total
Hardware
Sales
93,411.38
72,847.06
8,965.83
11,598.49
211,993.06
195,352.22
Share
100
77.99
9.60
12.42
Sales
108,666.32
89,671.47
4,459.62
14,535.23
Share
100
82.52
4.10
13.38
Sales
96,266.77
74,825.93
11,194.38
10,246.46
Share
100
77.73
11.63
10.64
Sales
105,438.91
94,540.67
5,108.25
5,789.99
Share
100
89.66
4.84
5.49
Source: NSO (2008)
28 |
Exports
Software
119.29
IT services
16,521.55
100
92.15
0.06
7.79
193,829.36
192,962.73
544.07
322.56
100
99.55
0.28
0.17
216,845.40
190,774.47
146.35
25,924.58
100
87.98
0.07
11.95
192,079.32
191,872.43
175.73
31.16
100
99.89
0.09
0.02
Figure 12: Thai Information Technology (IT) Industry Value Chain
Thai Information Technology
Industries
Hardware
- Domestic
Invention
Patent
Software
- Domestic
IT Services
- Domestic
Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs
- Joint Venture
- Joint Venture
- Joint Venture
Product design
Patent
Trademark
IPR
Copyright
Position
Creation
Innovation
R&D
Content
creators
Manufacturing
Distributing
Marketing
and Sales
Design,
assembly
line,
quality,
logistic etc.
Domestic
and Foreign
Markets
Advertising,
exhibiting
etc.
Purchaser/
consumer
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
Table 29: Percentage of Enterprises by Industry
Industry
1. Computer Hardware
2. Computer Software
3. IT Services
Total
Percentage
73.77
3.09
23.14
100
Source: NSO (2008)
Table 29 shows the percentage of enterprises categorized by industry. It shows that
most enterprises are in the computer hardware industry, while IT Services are in second place
and software enterprises are relatively few.
29 |
1.2.7.2 IP System and Information Technology Industry
In Thailand, the IT industry has engaged in various forms of IPRs, ranging from
copyright to patent. However, copyright is the most dominant form of IPR since Thai
companies have been more successful in developing intellectual property in the form of
software, rather than in hardware or industrial processes. Most of the hardware manufactured
in Thailand uses patents based on intellectual property originating outside of Thailand.
Creativity and innovation in the IT industry, whether hardware or software, is undoubtedly
dependent on the ease and effectiveness of registering and protecting IPR. It follows therefore
that strengthening the IPR regime in Thailand would boost the IT industry.
A report issued by the Business Software Alliance13 in 2008 found that the economic
and cyber crime division of Royal Thai Police had arrested a number of operators involved in
software piracy. Despite the arrests, losses due to piracy are estimated to be around 100
million baht per year. Some foreign copyright holders believe that the low level of fines for
copyright infringement provide insufficient deterrent. The relatively small fines means that
copyright owners often find themselves forced to agree to out-of-court settlements. This,
however, means that the pirates can quickly resume business and consider the settlements or
fines as a relatively minor cost of operation.
1.2.8 Research (I-O code: 168)
Research industry is viewed as enabling factors for creative industries. It is the heart
of development of other industries as well.
1.2.8.1 Market Structure and Value Chain
Research and development expenditures of Thailand14 steadily increased during 1999
– 2003 -- 0.12% and 0.22% of GDP in 1999 and 2001 respectively. In 2003, Thailand‟s
research and development expenditures totaled THB 15,499.2 million, about 0.26% of GDP.
This R&D expenditure rate was lower than the target of 0.4% of GDP cited in the 6th
National Research Policy and Strategy (2002 – 2006). It is also lower than key regional
economic competitors such as South Korea (2.64%), Singapore (2.25%), Australia (1.7%),
China (1.44%) and Malaysia (0.69%).Thailand‟s R&D expenditure in 2003 can be separated
into three types: public sector, private sector and others. The proportion of private to public
R&D expenditures was 0.8:1. The major obstacles to private sector investment in R&D are
the high risk of R&D failure and ineffective tax benefits
Table 30: Thailand‟s R&D expenditure in 2003
Unit: Million THB
Public sector
Private sector
Other
Total
7,364.6
5,927.5
2,207.1
15,499.2
Source: NRCT (2008)
13
BSA is the Business Software Alliance. The information of the software piracy reported in
http://www.bsa.org/NewsandEvents
14
The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT)
30 |
R&D expenditures in 2003 also can also be separated into fundamental research -- 19 %,
applied research -- 46% and experiments -- 35%. These percentages contrast with the desired
proportions set in the 6th national research policy and strategy (2002 – 2006), which were research –
30 %, applied researches – 20% and experiments -- 50%. Compared to other countries in Asia, the
expenditures on research and development in Thailand were quite low as seen from Table 31.
Table 31: Research and Development Expenditure to GDP
Unit: Percentage
China
Hong Kong
Japan
Malaysia
South Korea
Singapore
Thailand
2003
1.1
0.7
3.2
2.6
2.1
0.3
2004
1.2
0.7
3.2
0.6
2.8
2.2
0.3
2005
1.3
3.3
3
2.4
-
2006
1.4
3.4
3.2
2.4
-
Source :UNESCO Institute for Statistics, UNESCO
Thailand‟s human resources in R&D are composed of three types: researchers – who
typically have advanced degrees and author research papers, research assistants – who have
technical degrees and work with researchers, but do not typically author papers, and research
supporters – who provide technical support services. Thailand is working to upgrade both the
quality and quantity of R&D human resources to meet the growing need. R&D human resources
grew considerably from 1999 to 2003 during which the ratios of R&D human resources to 10,000
people were 2.44 3.87 and 6.72 in 1999, 2001, and 2003 respectively. Despite this growth, the
ratio of researchers to 10,000 people was only 2.87 in 2003 -- lower than the desired rate in the 6th
National Research Policy and Strategies (2002 – 2006) which was 3.5 to 10,000 people.
31 |
Figure 13: Thai Research Industry Value Chain
IPR
Copyright,
Invention Patent,
Design Patent
Trade Secret
Invention Patent,
Design Patent
Invention Patent,
Product Design
Patent
Trademark
Position
R&D
Experiment
& Pilot
Research
Institute,
Authors,
Inventors,
Researchers
Universities,
Research
Institute,
Authors,
Inventors,
Researchers
Production
Research
Institute,
Authors,
Inventors,
Researchers
Distribution
Channels
Marketing
and Sales
Publishers,
Wholesale,
Retail,
Logistic
Marketing
Research
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
1.2.8.2 IP System and the research industry
In the research industry, almost every link in the value chain is related to intellectual
property. In the R&D process, patents are available for inventions in all fields of technology,
while copyright is a form of intellectual property right for authors of original works, research
papers and reports in any field deserve copyright. Trade secrets typically play an important
role in the early stages of research before a copyrighted paper or a patentable invention has
been created. Trade secret owner use contracts for employees that forbid release of
information and provide incentives for successful research. Tight security at research
installations is another means for maintaining research secrecy. Both experiments and pilot
production involve invention patents and design patents. Finally, in the marketing and sales
process, trademarks come into play. A trusted brand with a well-known trademark can create
enormous value-added.
The number of patent registrations in Thailand fell from 2002, when there were 2,466
registrations, to only 1,322 registrations15in 2005, a decrease of 54%. Worse, the number of
patents registered by Thai nationals was only 505 items or 38% of total registrations in 2005.
As for research publications, Thailand was ranked the 7th out of 20 Asian countries
with 2,79516 articles published in 2005. Although the number of research publications in
Thailand has increased steadily, it is still far behind Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan.
15
16
NRCT (2008)
NRCT (2008)
32 |
2 Literature Review
International trade in creative goods and services has expanded significantly in recent
years. According to the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN
Comtrade), the value of world exports of creative goods and services was USD 424.4 billion
in 2005, which was 3.4% of total world trade and nearly double the total trade value of USD
227.4 billion for such goods and services in 1996. From 2000-2005, international trade in
creative goods and services grew at an average annual rate of 8.7% (year-on-year). This
increasing trend is indicative of the development of creative industries in various countries. In
this section, we present an overview of creative industries from both developed countries
(including Australia, Singapore and the United States) and developing countries (including
China, India, and Philippines).
2.1 Creative Industries in Developed Countries
2.1.1 Australia
17
Australia‟s copyright industries can be classified into three clusters, namely core
copyright industries, partial copyright industries, and copyright distribution industries. The
core copyright industries encompass those industries that create copyright works as their
primary products. The partial copyright industries are those in which only a portion of the
products is associated with the creation of copyright works, while the copyright distribution
industries distribute copyright materials to businesses and consumers.
In 1999 – 2000 Australia‟s copyright industries contributed USD19.2 billion to the
industry gross product (IGP), equivalent to 3.3 % of Australia‟s GDP. The share of core
industries, partial industries, and distribution industries in the entire copyright industries are
about 51 %, 25% and 24% respectively.
Figure 14: The Relative of the 3 copyright clusters (1999 – 2000)
Source: IBISWorld
17
By definition of WIPO
33 |
The value-added contribution of Australia‟s copyright industries has increased
dramatically in Australian economy. Over the period 1996–97 to 1999–2000 the copyright
industries grew at an average annual growth rate of 5.7%. This growth significantly exceeded
the average annual growth rate of the total economy over the same period (4.85% per year).
Figure 15: Copyright Industries‟ Value Added Contribution as a Percentage of GDP
Source: IBISWorld and Guldberg, H. H. (1994)
In August 2007, 3.7% of Australia‟s workforces18 (or 345,000 people) were employed
in copyright industries. This is comparable to employment levels in other sectors such as
government administration and defense, and personal and other services. Employment in the
copyright industries was higher than the average growth of overall employment. It grew from
around 312,000 in 1995–96 to nearly 345,000 in 1999–2000, representing an average annual
growth rate of 2.7 %, compared with the 2% average annual growth of overall employment.
There were about 155,000 creative businesses at the end of April 2006.
The software development and interactive content segment accounts for 31% of the
Creative Workforce, which is lower than its share of the number of creative businesses (40
percent). Architecture, design and visual arts represented 26% of the creative workforce and
35% of creative businesses.
Writing, publishing and print media is the third largest segment in employment terms
with 18% of employment, a considerably higher proportion than the segment‟s 3% share on
the basis of the number of businesses.
The advertising and marketing segment accounts for 10% of both creative
employment and creative Businesses. The two smallest segments are film, television and
radio with 8% of employment and music and performing Arts with 7% share of the total
creative workforce.
18
Figures are based on employment at the time of the 2001 Australian Census which is the most recent data
available as of August 2007.
34 |
Figure 16: Each Segment‟s share of Australia‟s Creative Workforce
Source: ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries & Innovation (CCI)
Australia continues to remain a net importer of copyright, with imports significantly
higher than exports. However considering the growth rate of exports and imports in, it is
shown that the growth rate of export continued to outstrip the growth rate of imports over the
period 1995-96 – 1999-2000.
Table 32:Export and Import of the Copyright industries in 1995-96 – 1999-2000
Year
Core
Export
Partial Distribute
Total
Core
Unit: Million USD
Import
Partial Distribute
Total
1995-96
582
293
4
879
2,048
629
13
2,690
1996-97
618
319
7
944
1,998
642
14
2,654
1997-98
659
321
10
990
2,421
680
17
3,118
1998-99
783
302
13
1,098
2,713
690
20
3,423
1999-2000
Growth rate
1995-96 / 1999-2000
( percent)
839
342
16
1,197
2,645
749
23
3,417
44.16
16.72
300.00
36.18
29.15
19.08
76.92
27.03
Source: IBISWorld and Australia Bureau of Statistics
Australia‟s economy is now built on banks, financial services, telecommunications,
and food retailers. These industries are heavily dependent on intellectual property for their
creation, growth and ongoing sustainability. Australia‟s IP regime provides the property
rights system necessary for intangible goods to be traded in the economy. Despite popularly
being recognized as benefiting large companies, registered rights (patents, trademarks and
industrial designs) are heavily used by small and medium enterprises and individual
35 |
innovators to protect their property rights. They use IP for protection of their ideas, but also
because it assists them in licensing their ideas for commercialization. Moreover Australia‟s
IP regime also plays a vital role in securing government, domestic, industrial and foreign
research and development funding. International surveys show that protection of IP is one of
the primary factors when deciding where to locate research and development activities. And
the benefits of R&D underwrite both the manufacturing and services sectors. And last but not
least, the most importantly, the available data suggests that the IP system is well utilized by
innovators. A well utilized system suggests that it is well integrated in Australia‟s economic
fabric. Moreover the available data suggests that IP-dependent industries contribute
significantly as a share of and to the Australian economy.
2.1.2 Singapore
In Singapore, the “creative cluster” is defined as “those industries which have their
origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job
creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property”. This cluster is
fuelled by ideas at the intersection of the arts, business and technology. It leverages the multidimensional creativity of individuals – artistic creativity, entrepreneurship and technological
innovation – to create new economic value which contributes to the economy directly and
indirectly. The economic impact of the fine arts in this study‟s scope can be separated into
three levels: the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary economic impact.
The primary economic impact of the creative industries is reflected in their direct
contributions to GDP as well as employment, as shown in Table 33.
Table 33: Direct Economic Contributions of Creative Industries in 2000 1/
Creative Industry
IT and software services
Advertising
Broadcasting media
Publishing industries
Interior, graphics and
fashion design
Architectural services
Art/Antique trade, crafts
Performing arts
Cinema services
Photography
Industrial design
All creative industries
All distribution industries
Total
Value-added
(VA)
(Million SGD)
1,137
510
229
283
187
Employment
(number)
VA/worker
(SGD)
Export
(Million SGD)
14,290
5,584
3,747
4,972
4,863
79,661
91,332
61,116
56,919
38,865
312
85
25*
68
NA.
433
36
71
53
27
12
2,977
2,022
4,999
7,185
1,945
2,003
938
1,137
186
46,850
31,868
78,718
60,264
18,509
35,447
56,503
23,747
64,516
63,543
59,264
61,740
45
0.5
NA.
NA.*
NA.
NA.
536
3,129
3,665
Source: Singapore Department of Statistics
1/
Exports for cinema services are subsumed under figures for broadcasting media in Singapore‟s Trade Classification.
36 |
The secondary economic impact refers to spin-offs resulting from expenditures on
creative industries. This is because the creative industries induce production in other
industries as they purchase goods and services for their own production. Such multiplier
effects can be traced through an input-output (I–O) table. The industry‟s output multiplier and
value-added (VA) multiplier measure the total production and value-added in the economy
induced by one additional unit of final demand in the industry. For instance, one additional
dollar spent in the advertising industry will result in S$1.63 worth of production output and
S$0.48 of value-added in the entire economy. Furthermore, it can be concluded that an
industry‟s productivity is the value-added of the economy-wide output induced by one unit of
final demand, and is computed as the ratio of the VA multiplier to the output multiplier.
Table 34: Secondary Economic Impact of Industries
Industry
Publishing and printing
IT and software services
Broadcasting media and
Performing arts
Cinema services
Architectural services
Advertising
Manufacturing average
Services average
National average
Output
multiplier
1.33
1.27
1.68
VA
multiplier
0.72
0.61
0.62
Overall
productivity
0.54
0.48
0.37
1.78
1.66
1.63
1.41
1.49
1.43
0.55
0.70
0.48
0.49
0.75
0.58
0.31
0.42
0.30
0.35
0.50
0.40
Source: Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore I-O table (1995)
The economic value of the creative industries could multiply when they are adopted
and commercialized by other services and manufacturing industries. A tertiary economic
impact could arise from considering creative industries as upstream economic activities that
provide inputs to other industries in the economy. Hence they constitute a major source of
competitive advantage for the economy, especially in a knowledge-based economy where
products and services are both knowledge-intensive and technology-intensive. The tertiary
economic impact can be assessed by the utilization of creative goods and services in other
sectors. A sector is known to possess economic competitiveness from the creative industries
if creative goods and services are extensively used by the sector.
On average, each sector of the Singapore economy acquires 0.32% of its inputs from
each of the other 154 IO sectors in the economy. Compared to this average, the share of
creative products in the inputs used by major industries in their production is substantial.
37 |
Table 35: Tertiary Economic Impact of Creative Industries
User Industry
Overall manufacturing
Chemicals & chemical products
Electronics
Machinery & equipment
Transport equipment
Construction
Overall services
Wholesale & retail trade
Hotels & restaurants
Transport
Communications
Financial services
Business services
Tourism
Education
Healthcare
Creativity Utilization
(Input from local creative industries as
percent of total inputs)
0.79
2.32
0.63
0.90
1.22
9.96
6.11
6.42
2.91
1.57
6.88
5.97
6.89
2.42
9.70
3.55
Source: Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore I-O table (1995)
2.1.3
United States
American copyright industries can be divided into four groups: core, partial,
distribution, and copyright-related. The core industries are those industries whose primary
purpose is to create, produce, distribute or exhibit copyright materials. These industries
include newspapers, books and periodicals, motion pictures, recorded music, music
publishing, radio and television broadcasting, and business and entertainment software.
Partial copyright industries are industries where only some aspects or portions of the products
can be qualified for copyright protection. These industries range from fabric to jewelry and
from furniture to toys and games. The third group, non-dedicated support industries, includes
industries that distribute both copyright and non-copyright protected materials to business
and consumers. These industries include transportation services, telecommunications and
wholesale and retail trade. The fourth group involves interdependent industries that produce,
manufacture, and sell equipment, whose function is primarily to facilitate the creation,
production, or use of works of copyrighted matter. They are manufacturers, wholesalers and
retailers of CD players, TV sets, VCRs, personal computers and usage dependent products
including blank recording material and certain categories of paper. The value-added of
copyright industries in the US economy in 2004 can be summarized as below.
38 |
Figure 17: Copyright Industries in the US Economy in 2004
Source: International Intellectual Property Alliance, IIPA (2006)
It can be seen that the U.S. copyright industries have consistently outperformed the
rest of the U.S. economy in terms of their real annual growth rates and their contributions to
the overall growth of the U.S. economy. These industries also command a large share of U.S.
gross domestic product and they employ millions of U.S. workers.
Table 36: Contribution to U.S. economy (value-added, growth, and employment)
2004
Value-added (Billion USD)
Total U.S. GDP
11,734.30
Core copyright industries
760.49
Core share of U.S. GDP
6.48 %
Total copyright industries
1,300.77
Total share of U.S. GDP
11.09 %
Contribution to real U.S. annual growth
Core copyright industries
13.75 %
Ratio: growth to share
2.12
Total copyright industries
25.36 %
Ratio: growth to share
2.29
Employment (Thousands)
Total U.S. employment
131,435.00
Core copyright industries
5,344.00
Core share of U.S.
4.07 %
Total copyright industries
11,206.60
Total share of U.S.
8.53 %
Source: IIPA (2006)
39 |
2005
12,487.10
819.06
6.56 %
1,388.13
11.12 %
12.96 %
2.00
23.78 %
2.14
133,463.00
5,380.40
4.03 %t
11,325.70
8.49 %
In addition, the compensation paid to U.S. workers in the copyright industries
consistently and substantially exceeds the average compensation level paid to U.S. workers as
a whole. Finally, the copyright industries continue to play an increasingly prominent role in
the growth of U.S. exports.
Table 37: Compensation per employee (USD)
Average U.S. compensation
Core copyright industries
Ratio: Core to U.S.
Total copyright industries
Ratio: Total to U.S.
Source: IIPA (2006)
2004
2005
48,136
66,997
1.39
60,621
1.26
49,828
69,839
1.40
66,727
1.26
Table 38: Foreign Sales and Export for Selected Industries
Unit: Billion USD
2004
2005
Selected core copyright industries
Chemicals and related product
(not including medical and
pharmaceutical products)
Medical and pharmaceutical products
Motor vehicles, parts, and accessories
Aircraft and associated equipment
Primary and fabricated metal products
Food and live animals
Source: IIPA (2006)
106.23
23.98
1110.82
25.95
23.98
67.64
42.09
41.98
45.48
25.95
76.26
49.79
50.72
48.29
The intellectual property (IP) generated by U.S. companies is critical to America‟s
prosperity and leadership in the global economy. America‟s IP-intensive industries employ
nearly 18 million workers, account for more than 50% of all U.S. exports, and represent 40%
of the country‟s growth (Department of Commerce). Moreover U.S. intellectual property is
worth $5 - 5.5 trillion US dollars (U.S. Chamber of Commerce).
2.2 Creative Industries in Developing Countries
2.2.1 China
The Chinese government has focused on the new era of creative industries and the
development of a “knowledge-based society” in its development plans since 2006. The
number of creative clusters in China has explosively jumped from some 50 clusters to more
than 200 clusters in only three years19 as shown in Figure 18.
19
Xiaodong Fu and Hanlu Xu (2009), The origin of explosive development of creative industries in china,
presented in Regional studies association annual conference 2009.
40 |
Figure 18: Accumulated number of Creative Cluster in 12 Cities in China20
Source: Xiaodong Fu and Hanlu Xu (2009)
The rapid growth rate of creative industries is most marked in the coastal area,
especially Shanghai, and Beijing. Other parts of China are gradually developing creative
industries. As shows in Figure 18, there are 219 creative industries clusters in China,
including 75 clusters in Shanghai and 21 clusters in Beijing. These areas account for 34.25%
and 9.59% of the total number of creative clusters respectively.
Surprisingly, the Chinese government has not officially provided a classification on
creative industries. Zhang (2007)21 had attempted to classify the creative industries clusters as
shown in Table 39.
Table 39: Creative Clusters in China
1)
2)
Legal Services
3)
Publishing
4)
7)
10)
13)
Gardening, Display Arts &
Porcelain
Metal Arts
Lacquer Arts
Flower Painting Arts
Natural Fiber Knitting
5)
8)
11)
14)
Consultancy & Surveying
Advertising
IPR Services
Tourism Organization
6)
9)
12)
15)
16)
Embroidery
17)
Other Business Services
18)
19)
Carpets
20)
21)
22)
Jewellery & Related
23)
25)
28)
Other arts & crafts
Telecommunication
26)
29)
31)
Internet Info Services
32)
Engineering Research &
Development
Agriculture Sciences &
Development
Medical Research & Experiment
Engineering Technology &
Planning
Other Professional Services
34)
Broadcasting & TV
transfer
Satellite Transfer Services
Computer Systems
Services
35)
Intermediary for Technology
36)
Radio Broadcast
TV Broadcast
Film
Music & Video
Production
Artistic Creation &
Performance
Arts & Performing
Arts Sites
Archaeology Relics &
Protection
Museum
Community Cultural
Activities
Culture & Arts
Brokerage
Other Culture and Arts
38)
41)
Other Scientific Services
Tourism Site & Management
39)
42)
Sports Organization
Sports Sites
37)
40)
20
24)
27)
30)
33)
These cities are Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Changsha,
Shenzhen, Chongqing, Chengdu and Hangzhou.
21
Zhang, J. (2007). Development of Creative Industries in China, Beijing, China‟s Economy Publishing.
41 |
43)
46)
49)
52)
55)
Data Processing
Other Computing Services
Public Software
Other Software
Business & Management
Consultancy
Source: Zhang, J. (2007)
44)
47)
50)
53)
56)
Haircutting & Beauty Saloon
Wedding Services
Photography & Film
Development
Other Education
Newspaper
45)
48)
51)
Other Sports
Indoor Entertainment
Scheme Parks
54)
57)
Leisure & Exercises
Other Entertainment
Zhen Yi (2008)22 has estimated that in 2006 the economic contribution of creative
industries achieved 512 billion Yuan (£34 billion) of value added and grew 17% from 2005
(Tuo, 2008)23. Internationally, China‟s export of core creative/cultural products amounted to
9.6 billion USD (£4.8 billion) in 2006 (Hu, 2006 sited in Zhen Ye, 2008) 24. In the same year,
China‟s BOP from cultural services export increased by 20% to 2.7 billion (£1.4 billion)
(ibid).
Despite rapid growth in creative sectors over the past few years, the share of creative
industries to China‟s GDP is merely 2.5 %, far from that of developed countries such as
Britain (10 percent).
Table 40: Effect of Including Telecommunication in China‟s Creative Industries
Total main business revenue from creative
industries (100 Million RMB)
Total creative employment (Million
persons)
Total profit for creative industries (100
Million RMB)
Total net asset for creative industries (100
Million RMB)
Excluding Including
Telecom. Telecom.
12,830.80 18,286.24
Increase after
inclusion (%)
30
1,529.3
2,434.8
45 t
1,946.22
3,476.75
45
11,778.49
25,852.95
54
Source: Zhen Ye. (2008)
Table 40 shows how the impact of creative industries changes when we change the
definition of creative industries. If we adopted the US definition25, which includes the
telecommunication sector, the effect of the inclusion dramatically alters the figures for
business revenue, employment, profit and net asset of creative industries. Still, it is debatable
whether the telecommunication should be included as a creative industry. Only parts of the
telecommunication are relevant, for example, text and multimedia messages, ringtone, games,
digital contents, and software.
Nevertheless, the total net asset for creative industries (excluding
Telecommunication) is still highly valued, RMB 1,177,849 Million or USD 172,505.409
22
Zhen Ye. (2008). “China‟s creative industries: clusters and performances”. A working paper submitted to the
annual conference of the Chinese Economist Association.
23
Tou, Z, (Jan 2008).”The Speech from the Deputy Director of Culture Market Division, Ministry of Culture”.
The Fifth New Year Forum of International Cultural Industries China 2008. Beijing: Peking University.
24
Hu, J. (Jan 2008) “The Speech from the Director of Trade in Services Division, Ministry of Commerce. The
Fifth New Year Forum of International Cultural Industries China 2008. Beijing: Peking University.
25
UK definition does not count telecommunication as a creative industry.
42 |
million. The value added shown in the above Table indicates the significance of the creative
industries in China
2.2.2 India
India also has realized that promotion of creative industries can be a key strategy to
alleviate poverty (Sharada Ramanathan, 2008) 26. The driving engines of India have been the
four metropolitan regions: Bombay (Mumbai), Delhi, Calcutta (Kolkatta) and Madras
(Cennai). Bombay is the financial capital of India, which contributes 3% of the country‟s
GDP. Nearly one-third of the country‟s foreign trade, in terms of value, and a similar
proportion of India‟s software exports originate from Bombay. Bangalore is now home to
subsidiaries of IT multinationals such as Texas Instruments, Motorola and DELL, Phillips
Software, HP Global and others27. Because computer software and telecommunication are
related directly to the creative economy, it is clear that India has been successful in
supporting its creative industries.
Indian creative industries such as entertainment, education, edutainment and
infotainment are all likely to grow. The film industry alone has contributed 22% of the
entertainment revenues. Indian films, especially the mainstream Hindi film industry, or
"Bollywood", dominate other entertainment segments such as music and live entertainment as
well as television where popular films and film-based programs attract the highest number of
viewers28. According to a recent study, the Indian entertainment industry is expected to more
than double in size over the next five years – from the current level of $4.3 billion to $9.4
billion. Due to a change in behavior of the Indian consumers and an increase in the number of
advertising media, advertising spending in India is set to reach USD 3,832 million by 2008.
According to a study by Rakesh Basant (2004), the Indian government has
implemented significant modifications in the country‟s Intellectual Property (IP) regime try.
This has major implications for sectors such as the pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology
and information technology (IT) related sectors. The study found that large IT and high-end
niche area firms are pursuing IP-based growth strategies. Seeking IP protection in Western
nations has led them to perceive restrictive IP regimes more positively. Survey data shows
that an average IT firm in India also perceives IP protection as an important mechanism, but
access to markets and relevant complementary assets continue to be seen as more important
for profitability.
According to the UNCTAD definition, a creative economy can be categorized into 2 major
groups, i) creative goods ii) services including creative industries29. The value of India‟s
exports and imports of services goods and creative services are shown in Table 41.
26
Sharada Ramanathan (2008) “Creative Economy as a Development Strategy – The Indian Perspective”. sited
in Ana Carla Fonseca Reis .(2008). Editor. “Creative Economy: as a Development Strategy: a view of
developing countries”.
27
Remeeta Garewai. (2005). “Creative Economy in the Developing World – the Developed and the Developing
City”. AICP 41st ISoCaRP Congress 2005.
28
The confederation of Indian Industry (CII) URL: http://www.cii.in/
29
Creative goods is Audio and Crafts, Audiovisuals, Design, Mjusic (CDs, tapes), New Media, Publishing,
Visual Arts. Creative of services are calculated based on IMF Balance of Payments Statistics
43 |
Table 41: The market values of Indian creative goods calculated by UNCTAD since 19962005
Unit: Million USD
Export f.o.b.
in million of
USD
Import c.i.f.
in million of
USD
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
2005
2,382 2,633 2,932 3,043 3,591 3,358 3,619 5,365 7,022 8,155
551
702
722
783
998
1,085 1,340 1,130 1,328 1,638
Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) http://www.unctad.org/creativeeconomy
2.2.3 Philippines
Recently, the Philippines government has concentrated on supporting the creative
industries. The government set the direction of the development of creative industries in 2006
because it realized that these industries will be a growth engine for Philippines in the future30.
Moreover, the government sponsored various seminars such as “Nurturing Creativity: The 1st
Philippines Creative Industry Forum”, “Philippines Ethnic Patterns: A Design Sourcebook”,
“Angono Creative Hub, Creative Philippines Exhibit during Manila F.A.M.E. International”
and “Reach through Regional Partners on Creative Industry” 31. These efforts led to a category
mapping of Philippine Creative Industries as shown in Figure 19.
Figure 19: Philippine Creative Industry 32
Source: Third Creative Industries Consultation Workshop by CII (2008)
30
The State of Philippine Competitiveness 2006: The Creative Industries – Interplay of Art, Business and
Innovation. December 2006.
31
Rhea Matute. (2008). “The Creative Economy: Nurturing a Philippines Agenda”. presented in the 1st Creative
Industries Initiatives (CII) workshop Forum.
32
These cities are Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Changsha,
Shenzhen, Chongqing, Chengdu and Hangzhou.
44 |
Figure 20: Philippine export performance of selected craft product, 1997 to 2001
Philippine export performance of selected craft products, 1997 to 2001 (FOB Value in
Thousand USD)
1,6717,94
Source: The Institute for Labor Studies33
Figure 20 shows data on the economic contribution of the Philippine creative
industries. Total exports of craft products such as basketwork, holiday decors, fine jewelry,
costume jewelry, decorative ceramics and furniture accounted for a total FOB value of $2.96
billion USD with the furniture sector contributing the bulk of exports.
Figure 21: Revenues from motion picture, radio, TV and other entertainment activities
1999, 2001 and 2003
unit: Billion PHP
Revenues from Motion Picture, Radio, TV and Other Entertainment
Entertainment Activities – 1999, 2001 & 2003 (in billion pesos)
Source: The Institute for Labor Studies, the Phillipines34
Figure 21 shows data on that total revenue from the motion picture, radio, television
and other entertainment activates was around 29.1 billion pesos or $619.42 million USD in
33
“The Philippine Creative Industries: Nurturing Potentials for Employment Generation Prepared by the
Institute for Labor Studies as Think Paper for the Creative Industries Sectoral Workshop, Manila.
34
“The Philippine Creative Industries: Nurturing Potentials for Employment Generation Prepared by the
Institute for Labor Studies as Think Paper for the Creative Industries Sectoral Workshop, Manila.
45 |
2003 while income for service related to libraries and archives, museums and other cultural
activities was around 271.4 million pesos or $5.84 million USD from Figure 22.
Figure 22: Revenues from library & archives, museums, and other cultural activities –
1999, 2001 and 2003 (unit: Billion PHP)
Revenues from Library & Archives, Museums, and Other Cultural
Activities – 1999, 2001 & 2003 (in Million PHP)
Source: The Institute for Labor Studies35
Employment in motion picture, radio, TV and other entertainment activities was an
annual average of 46,373 workers for the years 1999, 2001 and 2003.or about 21% of
average total employment in community, social and personal service establishments as shown
in Table 42.
Table 42: Employment, Selected Industries in Community, Social and Personal
Services: 1999, 2001 and 2003
Industry
Motion Pictures,
Radio, TV etc.
1999
36,581
2001
35,452
2003
37,086
Source: The Institute for Labor Studies, the Phillipines
3 Methodology and Data
In this Section, we will present the methodology and data used to quantitatively
measure the economic contribution of Thailand‟s creative industries. This measurement is
based on the 2008 input-output (I-O) table of Thailand.
This description of methodology and data is organized into three parts. The first
explains the structure of Thailand‟s I-O table and provides an example of the 2008 I-O table
of Thailand. Since the I-O table of Thailand is generally published every five years and the
most updated one is for the year 2000, the second part reviews some commonly used
approaches for updating the I-O table and presents a way to update it by using a RAS
approach. Finally, the third part explains the data used in this study.
35
“The Philippine Creative Industries: Nurturing Potentials for Employment Generation Prepared by the
Institute for Labor Studies as Think Paper for the Creative Industries Sectoral Workshop, Manila.
46 |
3.1 Structure of Thailand’s I-O Table
An input-output (I-O) table focuses on the interrelationships among industries in an
economy with respect to the production and uses of their products and the products imported
from abroad (United Nations, 1999). It shows how the output of one industry is used as an
input to other individual industries and displays these inter-industry linkages in the form of a
matrix. A given input is usually specified in the column of an industry and its outputs are
specified in its corresponding row. This format, therefore, shows how each industry depends
on all others in the economy both as customer of their outputs and as supplier of their inputs.
Each column of the I-O table indicates the monetary value of an industry‟s inputs and each
row reports the monetary value of an industry‟s outputs.
Figure 23 shows the structure of the 2008 input-output table of Thailand. The
economy is typically viewed with each industrial sector registered across the top as a
consuming sector and down the side as a supplying sector. In this table, imports are treated as
non-competitive imports rather than as competitive imports.36 The method of noncompetitive imports is used by many countries. It will provide basic information for the I-O
table (United Nation, 1999). The main implication of the treatment of non-competitive
imports is to capture a degree of import contents of intermediate and final demands. In this
approach, the intermediate and final demand flows [the square box (A) and (B)] refer only to
payments for domestic goods. Imports are viewed as another input that is not produced in the
economy. Instead of a column, imports thus appear as a row together with payments for
factors of production and indirect taxes.
Figure 23: Structure of 2008 input-output table of Thailand
Output distribution
Input structure
Industrial sector
(1-180)
Non-competitive
imports
Value added
(Primary inputs)
(201-204)
Total
Industrial sector
(1-180)
Intermediate
consumption of
domestic products
(A)
Intermediate
consumption of
non-competitive
imports
(C)
Primary input
demand
(E)
Total expenditure
Final demand
(301-306)
Final demand
for domestic
products
(B)
Final demand
for noncompetitive
imports
(D)
Total
Total domestic
supply
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
36
In the use table, imports are usually classified into two types: competitive and non-competitive imports.
Competitive imports include imported products that are also being produced by the domestic economy. Noncompetitive imports include products that are either not producible or not yet produced in the country.
47 |
Based on the treatment of non-competitive imports, the values in the square box (A)
represent intermediate consumption only of domestic products, i.e., uses of domestic products
as inputs in the production process. The values in the box (B) characterize final demand only
for domestic products as well. The final demand has various elements, including household
and government consumption, gross capital formation and exports, and each element is
considered as a single column vector. For the values of intermediate and final consumption
of non-competitive imports, they are shown separately from the consumption of domestic
products and represented in the box (C) and (D), respectively.
The values in the box (E) represent amounts of value added referred to as primary
inputs. Value added also has several elements including wage and salaries, operating surplus
and depreciation. Indirect taxes less subsidy are added in order to obtain total value added at
market prices (rather than at factor cost). Each element is considered as a single row vector.
In summary, Figure 23 shows that domestic and imported inputs are separately
consumed in the intermediate demand matrix and in final demand expenditure. The sum of
total consumption for a domestic product in each row is the domestic supply of a particular
product. Similarly, the sum of total consumption for imported products in the row of noncompetitive imports is the imported supply. The sum in each column is equal to the
expenditures for a particular product. This input-output structure is eventually shown to
obtain the balance between input and output, that is, between total expenditure and total
domestic supply
3.2 I-O Table Updating Methodologies and Data
In this study we mainly use an I-O table to measure economic contributions of
Thailand‟s creative industries. The official I-O table is released every five years or more
depending on Thailand‟s NESDB. Currently, the latest official I-O table is for the year 2000.
In order to study the contribution of creative industries in Thailand more accurately, we have
updated the I-O table to year 2008. The methodology is as follows.
1) We compile the value added data, the demand side data, and the imports and
exports data for the year 2008 from NESDB to construct the value added bloc
(rows 201-204) and demand sided bloc (columns 301-306).
2) For input structure (A) for the year 2008, we use the official input structure of the
official I-O table year 2000 to be multiplied by row sums of the each sector. Now
we will get an unbalanced input structure matrix A. To balance or update the
coefficients in the input structure matrix A, we employ two widely-used up
methodologies37:

RAS
RAS method is used when new information on the matrix row and column sums
becomes available as in our case where rows and columns with data for 2008 are
known. The new matrix coefficients are estimated by using the iterative adjustment
procedure. This method is widely used to update I-O tables and SAM. Despite its
37
See Folana, Ismael, Andre Lemelin, and John Cockburn (2002) for more technical discussions of balancing or
updating methodologies.
48 |
simplicity, RAS method suffers from its main disadvantage: a lack of economic
foundation.

The Cross Entropy
The cross-entropy method originated from information theory (Shannon,
1948). The estimation procedure is to minimize the Kullback-Leibler (1951) crossentropy measure of the distance between the new and the prior estimated
probabilities. That is to find a new input structure matrix A of 2008, closed to an
existing input structure matrix A of 2000 by minimizing the cross-entropy distance
between them, with respect to all constraints.
Table 43: Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) from RAS and CE methods
Method
RMSE of Coefficients
RAS
3.495105055
Cross Entropy
3.495105175
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
RSME of Flows
452031946.6
452030604.7
Table 43 demonstrates the root mean square errors (RMSE) of the balanced matrices
from RAS and CE methods compared to the initial input structure matrix of year 2000. Both
RMSE of coefficients and flows are almost identical between the balanced matrices from
RAS and CE methods. Our results are consistent with other studies. Both methods can be
mathematically proved to be the same.38 We have chosen the input structure balanced matrix
from CE method as RMSE of flows is slightly smaller and we will focus more on flows at
this stage.
We use a new input structure matrix and other blocs then balance again to
constitute the 2008 I-O table. Table 444 represents the miniature 2008 I-O model of the
Thailand.
38
McDougall, Robert A. (1999), Entropy Theory and RAS are Friends, Purdue Libraries.
49 |
Table 44: 2008 input-output table of Thailand (THB thousand million)
Intermediate consumption of domestic product
Agriculture
Manufacturing
Services
and others
Sum
(1-3)
Private
consumption
Gov
Consumption
Final demand
Gross
fixed
Change
capital
in
formation
stock
Exports
Total
final
demand
Total
domestic
supply
(4) +
(10)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
Agriculture
1
110.5
869.8
87.0
1,067.3
350.3
1.5
0.0
19.8
56.7
428.3
1,495.6
Manufacturing
2
252.5
3,018.8
1,782.8
5,054.2
2,130.5
179.0
1,326.5
811.7
5,685.7
10,133
15,187.6
Services and others
Sum (1-3)
Non-competitive
imports
Total demand
(4)+(5)
3
4
117.8
480.8
1,847.3
5,735.9
1,799.9
3,669.8
3,765.1
9,886.6
2,705.6
5,186.5
943.1
1,123.6
1,160.1
2,486.6
87.3
918.7
1,288.1
7,030.4
6,184.2
16,745
9,949.2
26,632.5
5
69.4
5,030.5
436.6
5,536.6
527.0
0.6
641.2
-
-
1,168.9
6
550.3
10,766.4
4,106.4
15,423.1
Wages and salaries
7
241.3
1,138.7
1,864.6
3,244.6
Operating surplus
8
637.1
2,016.4
2,771.5
5,425.0
Depreciation
Indirect taxes less
subsidy
Sum (7-10)
Total expenditure
(6)+(11)
9
65.7
654.0
824.6
1,544.4
10
11
1.3
945.4
612.1
4,421.2
382.0
5,842.8
995.4
11,209.3
12
1,495.6
15,187.6
9,949.2
26,632.5
Source: FPRI Estimates
50 |
4
Results and Discussions
This Section aims to measure the economic contributions of Thai creative industries in a
manner that includes the direct contributions of the industries as well as their indirect contributions
to related and supporting sectors (upstream and downstream sectors). The objective is to assess for
key stakeholders, particularly government policy makers, the extent to which Thailand has creative
industries with large economic contributions and whether Thailand could be capable of creating
even more value if the IP systems were improved and IP is better protected.
As in Economic Contributions of Singapore’s Creative Industries (Ministry of Trade and
Industry, Government of Singapore, 2005), this part will analyze the primary, secondary and
tertiary economic impacts of Thai creative industries based on a similar framework. The
explanation of these three impacts is as follows:
1) The primary impact involves the direct and quantifiable contributions of the selected
creative industries to the national economy. This concerns how much these creative
industries directly contribute to GDP, value added, employment and so on.
2) The secondary impact is related to the indirect and quantifiable contributions of the
creative industries to the national economy. This secondary impact is due to the
multiplier effect in the creative industries. It is the total effect on either output or
value added, given an increase in one unit of output of a particular industry.
3) The tertiary impact involves the direct, but non-quantifiable contributions of the
selected creative industries to the national economy. This concerns how much the
creative industries generate industrial invention, innovation and differentiation,
leading ultimately to greater economic competitiveness. We assess this impact based
on the utilization of creative goods and services in other sectors‟ production.
These various economic impacts will be estimated by using the estimated 180-sector
input-output table of Thailand, 2008. As discussed in Section 3.1, an input-output table
represents the interrelationship among industrial sectors in an economy and provides a snapshot
of a country‟s economic structure. Hence, the input-output table is a powerful tool for
estimations of a particular industry‟s direct contributions to various macroeconomic indicators
(the primary impact) and of the utilization of creative products by industry (the tertiary impact).
A number of extensions of the input-output table also make it a useful tool for policy analysis.
For example, one can use the Leontief inverse to calculate “multipliers” providing a sense of the
full potential impact of a particular creative industry, including an induced production in other
industries (the secondary impact). The results of the primary, secondary and tertiary impacts of
Thai creative industries can be shown as follows:
51 |
4.1
Primary Impact
The primary economic impact is traced through the estimated 2008 input-output table of
Thailand and a 2008 survey of information and communication technology industries. This
impact concerns the direct economic contributions of Thai creative industries, including their
contributions to sales, sales/GDP, value added, value added/GDP, employment,
employment/total employment, value added/ worker, and exports. The data is shown in Table
45Error! Reference source not found..
Table 45: Direct Economic Contributions of Thai Creative Industries, 2008
Value
added/
Sales*
Employme
nt
Employ
ment/
Total
employ
ment
Sales
Sales/
GDP
Value added
Value
added/
GDP
(Million THB))
(percent)
(Million THB)
(percent)
(percent)
(thousands
of person)
0.27
53.5
0.29
0.22
1.44
Creative industry
Wooden furniture and
55,911.1
0.50
29,906.9
fixture
Printing and publishing
71,609.1
0.64
32,439.2
Drug and medicine
44,207.8
0.39
24,170.5
Jewelry and related
530,547.01
4.73
161,650.62
articles
Motion picture production
13,911.0
0.12
5,397.74
Movie theatre
9,876.45
0.09
3,200.55
Radio, TV, and related
44,406.0
0.40
63,552.0
services
Information technology
297,518.2
2.65
NA
(IT)
Total
1,067,986.91
9.53
325,274
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
Note: *The value added per sales of non-creative industries is 68.1 percent
Value
added/
Worker
Exports
(percent)
(Million
THB)
(Million
THB)
67.5
0.19
0.44
54,609.7
45.3
54.7
30.5
14.2
31.8
63.0
0.04
0.09
0.17
2.28
0.76
2.57
18,660.0
5,795.71
157,730.65
0.05
0.03
0.57
38.8
32.4
143.1
10.0
8.8
234.6
0.03
0.02
0.65
0.54
0.36
0.27
0.12
777.25
0.00
NA
NA
445.6
1.23
NA
192,079.
2.86
41.57
875.5
2.42
0.75
429,652
In 2008, Thailand‟s creative industries contributed THB 1,067.987 million in sales and
more than THB 325,274 million in value added (not including the value added from the IT
industry as this value added data is not available). These accounted for 9.53% and 2.86% of
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2008, respectively. The jewelry and related articles industry
was the major constituent of both sales (4.73% of GDP) and value added% (1.44% of GDP).
In 2008, 875,500 workers (or 2.42% of Thailand‟s workforce) were employed in the
creative industries. The IT industry was the industry with the highest employment, accounting
for 1.23% of total employment. The jewelry and related articles industry had the largest value
added per GDP of 0.97%.
The creative industries, excluding the IT industry, contributed average value added of
THB 750,000 per worker. The jewelry industry had relatively high value added per worker of
approximately THB 2.57 million, while the printing and publishing industry had value added of
52 |
THB 2.28 million per worker. This is well above the average value added per worker of THB
309,230 and nearly triple the THB 786,850 value added per worker in manufacturing.
In terms of international trade, exports of the selected creative industries totaled THB
429,653 million in 2008, 7.34% of total exports, and, according to UNTAD statistics, has been
growing steadily (at 5.1% per year from 2000 to 2005). The main exporting sectors were the IT
sector, with exports worth about THB 192,079.32 million, and the jewelry and related articles
sector, with exports worth THB 157,730.65 million.
4.2
Secondary Impact
The secondary impact of creative industries is reflected in their indirect contributions.
This impact is derived from the multiplier effect resulting from expenditures in the creative
industries. This occurs because the creative industries induce production in other industries. For
example, an increase in the final demand for 1,000 baht will cause the industry of wooden
furniture and fixture to produce 1,000 baht worth of wooden furniture and fixture. Moreover,
1,000 baht worth of wooden furniture and fixture will require inputs from other industries (i.e.,
from saw mills and wooden construction materials; paper and paper board product; and so on)
worth an additional baht 400 and for and addition baht 380 in value added to be created.
An industry‟s output/value added multipliers measure the total effects on production/
value added in the economy, given an increase in one unit of final demand in that industry. For
example, one additional baht of expenditure in the movie theatre industry will bring about ฿2.14
worth of output and 1.50 worth of value added in the overall economy.
Figure 24: Multipliers of Thai Creative Industries
National average
1.63
0.70
Wooden furniture and fixture
1.40
0.38
Printing and publishing
0.62
Drug and medicine
0.59
Jewelry and related articles
0.58
Research
1.56
1.59
1.55
1.47
0.46
Motion picture production
1.62
0.61
Movie theatre
2.14
1.50
Radio, TV, and related services
1.84
0.92
0.00
0.50
1.00
VA multiplier
1.50
2.00
Output multipliers
Source: Calculation
1/ Here there is no multiplier for the IT industry as data are in other sectors in the I-O table.
53 |
2.50
Compared to the national average of output and value added multipliers at 1.63 and 0.70,
respectively, the industries of wooden furniture and fixture; printing and publishing; drugs and
medicine; jewelry and related articles; research; and motion picture production have lower output
multipliers as well as lower value-added multipliers. On the other hand, the industries of movie
theatre; and radio, TV, and related services have higher output and value added multipliers.
The lowest and second lowest output multipliers belong to the industries of wooden
furniture and fixture; and research at 1.40 and 1.47, respectively. This is because most of their
inputs are supplied from within these industries. In contrast, the highest and second highest
output multipliers belong to the industries of movie theatre; and radio, TV, and related services
at 2.14 and 1.84, respectively, since these industries require the extensive outsourcing and interindustry dependence of production. The movie theatre industry depends intensively on the
industries of motion picture production; other manufactured goods; and petroleum refinery and
gas separation plants, while the radio, TV, and related services industry depends intensively on
the post and telecommunication; motion picture production; and unclassified industries.
The movie theatre; and radio, TV, and related services industries also stimulate the
highest level of additional value added, given one unit increase in final demand. Their respective
value added multipliers are at 1.50 and 0.92. This is due to the high value added generated within
the industry, corresponding to the high commercial and mass-market value associated with their
products. In contrast, the industries of wooden furniture and fixtures (with a multiplier of 0.38);
and research (with a multiplier of 0.46) had the lowest value added multipliers. For the research
industry, one possible explanation is that most of its products could not be sold in the mass
market.
4.3
Tertiary Impact
Creative industries create unique knowledge, intellectual property, content, and design
that previously did not exist. They exclude, and contrast with, industries that derive value by
relocating ownership of pre-existing know-how, by making a commoditized goods and services,
and by maintaining or enhancing what already exists. The economic value of the creations from
the creative industries contributes to industrial invention, innovation and differentiation and
greater economic competitiveness when any industry has become increasingly automated and
process-driven.
We use a framework similar to that used in Economic Contributions of Singapore’s
Creative Industries (Ministry of Trade and Industry, Government of Singapore, 2003), to
investigate the tertiary economic impact through the utilization of creative products in the
production of other sectors. The literature hypothesizes that a sector which uses creative goods
extensively will gain greater economic competitiveness. The utilization of creative goods and
services by major Thai industries is shown in Table 46.
In this table, there are two different values of the utilization of each industry. This is
resulted from two different definitions of local creative industries: those including and those
54 |
excluding the drug and medicine, and research industries. However, the next three paragraphs
will show only the results in the case of the local creative industries defined as those including
the drug and medicine, and research industries. Comparison of the two cases, then, will be made.
Table 46 indicates that an overall manufacturing utilizes 1.01% of their inputs from the
creative industries. The petroleum refinery and gas separation plant industry has the highest
creativity utilization (1.26 percent) among major industries. The motor vehicle; and special
industrial machinery industries have the second and third highest consumption (0.42% and 0.08
percent), but these rates are lower than that of the overall utilization. The highest rate of creative
utilization is shown in some smaller industries, especially the iron ore (21.36 percent); and
natural chemical and fertilizer (9.10 percent) industries. It should be noted that creativity
utilization is expected to be higher for several industries once data from the information and
technology (ICT) and design industries are available and taken into account as creative
industries. This is due to the close interrelationship between the IT industry and most other
manufacturing industries and the value added chain-upgrading potential of the design industry.
As a whole, the service sector has a creativity utilization rate of 6.31, much higher than
the rate of the manufacturing sector. The utilization rate of the service sector is, however, more
varied across sub-sectors in comparison to the manufacturing sector. Creative inputs figure most
strongly in the hospital (29.63 percent) and the education (9.40 percent) industries owing to their
extensive usage of patent-protected drugs and medicines in the hospital industry and of printing
and publishing and research in education. Some smaller industries also extensively utilize
creative inputs, particularly the library and museum industry (24.84 percent).
Among all eight selected creative industries, the printing and publishing; motion picture
production; radio, TV, and related services industries; and drug and medicine contribute the
major creative inputs across all sectors. They account, on average, for 0.64 %, 0.49 %, 0.43 %,
and 0.30% of total intermediate input consumption in all sectors, respectively. These sectors are,
therefore, particularly important in helping local producers get a higher domestic and global
market share from the higher competitiveness derived from more creative inputs.
Compared to the utilization rate of local creative industries defined as those excluding the
drug and medicine, and the research industry, the rate in the industries of office equipment and
machinery; motor vehicles; wearing apparel; road freight transport; education; real-estate and
hospitals are significantly lower. Particularly, the rate in the hospital industry substantially falls
from 29.63 to 0.84 due to a large proportion of the utilization of drug and medicine input.
55 |
Table 46: The Utilization of Creative Products by Major Thai Industries
User industry
Overall Manufacturing
Petroleum refinery and gas
separation plant
Office equipment and
machinery
Motor vehicles
Petroleum products
Wearing apparel
Special industrial machinery
Creativity utilization
(Inputs from local creative industries as percent of
total inputs)
Local creative
Local creative industries
industries including the
excluding the drug and
drug and medicine, and
medicine, and research
research industries1
industries2
1.01
0.80
1.26
1.04
0.08
0.04
0.42
0.05
0.02
0.19
0.22
0.05
0.01
0.19
0.004
0.004
0.08
0.08
Construction
0.32
0.31
Overall Services
Wholesale trade
Retail trade
Restaurant and drinking place
6.31
1.41
2.99
0.15
0.15
9.40
0.09
1.72
0.22
0.45
5.46
1.41
2.99
0.14
0.09
8.85
0.08
1.66
0.14
0.43
0.43
0.42
0.67
29.63
0.67
0.84
Canning and preserving fish
and seafood
Electrical industrial machinery
and appliances
Road freight transport
Education
Air transport
Banking service
Real-estate
Post and telecommunication
Route and non-route of road
passenger transport
Hotels and lodging places
Hospitals
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
4.4
Country comparisons
Since there is still ongoing debate on the definition of creative industries, to our knowledge
a systematic comparison of creative industry economic contributions among countries does not yet
exist. One exception is the Creative Economy report for 2008 produced by UNCTAD. This report,
however, focuses only on international trade, which will be discussed later.
56 |
We have compiled available information on the size and the economic contributions of
creative industries for six countries from our case studies. It must be realized that there exists
some inconsistency in year of study and definition of creative industries. Despite these
deficiencies, the comparisons we have produced should help to shed some light on Thailand‟s
development path. Our key assumption is that the rise of creative economies is a key element of
development toward developed country status and thus for any given year the level of the
economic contribution by creative economies in developed countries is higher than that of
developing countries. Table 47 concludes the key results of the country examples and our results
on Thailand‟s creative industries.
Table 47: Creative Industries Comparison among Selected Countries
Share of Creative
Industries to
GDP
Share of
employment to
total
employment
Definition of
creative
industries
1. Australia
3.30 %
3.70 %
Model 4
19902000
2. The US
11.12 %
8.49 %
Model 4
2005
1.China
2.50 %
NA2/
China's
definition
2006
2.Singapore
5.67 %
2.2 %
Model 1
2000
3.1.Thailand/3
9.53 %
2.42%
Model 1 +
Pharmaceutical
2008
3.2. Thailand
9.13 %
2.33 %
Model 1
2008
Countries1/
Developed
countries
Developing
countries
Year
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
1/.
We do not include India and Philippines here because the data is not available.
2/
N.A. is data not available
3/
We separated Thailand‟s results into 2 cases: 3.1 is the case of which definition is defined in this study, and 3.2 is
for the case of the same definition of Singapore‟s study for comparison purposes.
In understanding this data, it is important to take the differing periods for each of the
countries. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find studies using data from the same years for all
of the countries. The data for Australia and Singapore is particularly old. Despite this problem, it
is possible to make a couple of comparisons. Both of the developed countries studied, Australia
and the United States have greater creative industries‟ share in GDP than the developing
countries (more recent figures from Australia would certainly be much higher) Singapore‟s high
57 |
per capita GDP could classify it as a developed country. Also in terms of share of employment in
creative industries to total of employment in a country, both Australia at 3.70% in 1999-2000
and the United States at 8.49% in 2005 have high figures.
China‟s creative industries‟ contribution to its economy is relative low at 2.50% of GDP
in 2006. However, this is expected to grow rapidly. While almost 10 years ago, the share of
Singapore‟s creative industries was 5.67% of GDP, while the current share of Thailand‟s creative
industries to GDP of 9.53 %, and about 61% higher when the definitions are the same.
Nevertheless, we expected the number of Singapore is growing within these 10 years. In terms of
labor share, Thailand‟s current figures are slightly higher than that of Singapore‟s figure 10 years
ago. This indicates that Thailand‟s creative industries development is burgeoning although still
follow those in developed countries and the number of jobs created by Thailand‟s creative
industries is still quite low. The current international trade statistics in Table 48 tells the positive
trend in international trade. Thailand‟s export of creative goods reached nearly USD 13 billion in
2008, ranked 17th, with a world market share of 1.29%, trailing behind only the OECD
countries, India and China. The creative industries in Thailand clearly have the potential to
become an important growth engine for Thai exports.
Table 48: Creative goods: Top 20 exporters worldwide, 1996 and 20051/
Rank
2005
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
58 |
Exporter
China
Italy
Hong Kong
United States
Germany
United Kingdom
France
Canada
Belgium2/
Spain
India
Netherlands
Switzerland
Japan
Turkey
Austria
Thailand3/
Mexico
Poland
Denmark
Market
Growth
Value
Share
Rate
( millions of USD) Rank
(percent) (percent)
2005
1996
1996
2005
2005
61,360 18,428
3
17.6
18.3
28,008 23,654
2
5.9
8.3
27,677 24,391
1
0.8
8.2
25,544 17,529
4
3.6
7.6
24,763 13,976
5
14.2
7.4
19,030 12,439
6
9.8
5.7
17,706 12,368
7
8.6
5.3
11,377
9,312
8
1.7
3.4
9,343 2.8
9,138
5,988
9
8.1
2.7
8,155
2,382
16
21.1
2.4
7,250
5,235
10
9.7
2.2
6,053
4,501
11
9.1
1.8
5,547
3,618
12
1.8
1.7
5,081
1,763
20
18.3
1.5
4,883
2,355
17
11.1
1.5
4,323 5.1
1.3
4,271
2,693
15
0.5
1.3
4,215
1,602
21
18.2
1.3
3,449
2,341
19
8.5
1
Source: UNCTAD.
1/ These figures are based on the definition of Model 5 by UNCTAD.
2/ Belgium and Luxembourg reported trade figures jointly from 1996 to 2001 and separately after 2002;
3/Trade figures for creative goods from Thailand were available only after 1999.
In this study, as explained below, we measured the contributions of creative industries to
the economy in two ways: direct effects and indirect effects through multipliers. In our country
examples, since only the Singapore study provides the indirect effect analysis, we will compare
those results to ours.
Table 49 : Comparisons of Multipliers 1/
Output Multipliers
National
Average
Media
and
Performi
ng Arts
Cinema
Services/
4
VA Multipliers
Overall Productivity2/
UK
Singapore
Thai
UK
S’pore
Thai
UK
S’pore
Thai
1.80
1.43
1.63
0.86
0.58
0.70
0.48
0.41
0.43
1.82
1.68
NA/3
0.88
0.62
NA
0.48
0.37
NA
1.82
1.78
1.62
0.88
0.55
0.61
0.48
0.31
0.38
Advertisi
1.67
1.63
NA
0.94
0.48
NA
0.56
0.29
NA
ng
Architect
ural
1.56
1.66
NA
0.95
0.70
NA
0.61
0.42
NA
Services
IT and
Software
1.54
1.27
NA
0.88
0.61
NA
0.57
0.48
NA
Services
Publishi
ng and
1.70
1.33
1.56
0.83
0.72
0.62
0.49
0.54
0.40
Printing
Sources :Fiscal Policy Research Institute and Toh Mun Heng, Andrian Choo, and Terence Ho (2003),
1/ We present multipliers and overall productivity of Thailand‟s creative industries that are similar to industry in
Singapore and the UK
2/ Overall Productivity is calculated by VA multiplier/ Output multiplier
3/ Data not available
4/ Cinema service is compared to Motion Picture Production in the case of Thailand
Fortunately, the analysis in Toh Mun Heng, Andrian Choo, and Terence Ho (2003) also
provides a comparison between Singapore and the United Kingdom (Using the I-O table of
1995), so we can compare all three countries. However, the disaggregation of Thailand‟s I-O
table is different from others. Therefore, only the cinema services and publishing and printing
industries can be compared across the three countries.
59 |
To begin with cinema services (motion picture production in the case of Thailand),
Thailand has the lowest output multipliers. Unlike the United Kingdom and Singapore cases,
Thailand‟s output multiplier is slightly less than the national average. However, Thailand‟s
cinema services industry has a higher value added multiplier than Singapore‟s, but it is still less
than that of the United Kingdom. Both Thailand and Singapore have value added multipliers for
this industry that are lower than the national average, while the UK‟s figure is higher than the
UK national average. Lastly, the overall productivity of the UK cinema services industry is the
highest at 0.48 and equal to the national average. In 2008, Thailand‟s overall productivity was
higher than that of Singapore in 1995.
Secondly, in the publishing and printing sector, all three countries have output multipliers
less than their national averages. The United Kingdom had the highest multiplier, followed by
Thailand, and Singapore respectively. Nonetheless, Singapore‟s publishing and printing sector
has the highest value added multiplier, which is above the national average. Also, Singapore has
the highest overall productivity.
In conclusion, our analysis shows that in 2008 the selected creative industries contributed
more than a trillion baht (USD 32 billion) to Thailand‟s economy, nearly 10% of total GDP. The
contributions of the jewelry (4.73% of GDP) and IT (2.65% of GDP) industries were particularly
high. Value added by these industries, even without the IT industry, for which data was not
available, was more than THB 325,274 million (USD 9.7 billion). While total employment in the
selected creative industries was only about 2.4% of the workforce, the value added per worker
was high, indicating that creative industry jobs were relatively high-paying. The creative
industries also contributed significantly to Thailand‟s exports, earning nearly USD 13 billion and
placing Thailand among the world‟s top 20 exporters of creative goods. It is also important that
these creative exports are growing steadily at more than 5% per year, indicating strong global
demand for Thai creative goods.
In addition, the creative industries stimulated growth in other parts of the economy, with
an average output multiplier greater than the average for the economy. The movie theater
industry was particularly impactful, with each baht of expenditure in this sector generating 2.14
baht of output in the rest of the economy. Other industries also depended on inputs from the
creative industries, with particularly high impacts on industries such as iron and fertilizer. The
largest dependence on the creative industries, however, was seen in the service sector which
depended on the creative industries for more than 6% of its inputs. Services such as education
and hospitals, however, depended on the creative industries for up to nearly 30% of their inputs.
These figures certainly understate the case because utilization data for the IT industry was not
available. Clearly, IT is a key input for almost all industry sectors
It is clear that the economic contributions of the creative industries are considerable.
Compared to other countries studied, however, the multiplier effects are less than they should be.
This suggests that Thailand‟s creative industries have less well-developed value chains than
those of more developed economies, such as Singapore. Therefore, it is likely that effective
efforts to nurture those value chains could accelerate the development of the creative industries
and further enhance the contribution of creative industries to the overall economy.
60 |
5 Losses due to Piracy in the Creative Industries
In Activity 2 of this project, we will examine the losses due to piracy in the creative
industries and their implications for Thailand‟s development by simulation analysis. This will
show the monetary cost of piracy in the sense that legitimate companies would have benefitted
had piracy not occurred. We have selected four industries that seem most seriously affected
piracy: Movie, Music, IT, and Pharmaceutical industries. In-depth studies of these four key
creative industries show that the effects of piracy are not be limited to monetary value.
5.1
Framework of analysis
In this Section, we present an analysis of the effect of piracy on legitimate firms. The
analysis will begin from the micro level assessment of losses due to piracy and then consider the
effects that are economy-wide. The micro level analysis will be beneficial in that it will draw the
distinction between market structures of different products. This will help the estimation of
losses to be more accurate than general one-to-one assessment, which assumes the perfect
substitution between authentic and infringing sales. We have applied the conceptual analytical
framework used by the OECD in 2008 to our study cases, which are discussed below.
Market structure where genuine and counterfeit/pirated goods compete
Producers, both rights holders and counterfeiters or pirates, and consumers are the market
actors here. The rights holders can be divided into two main groups: holders of trademark, and
holders of copyrights and patents. Generally the rights holders are the legitimate suppliers of
genuine products. While trademarks help the products or goods to be easily identified and
indicate their authenticity, copyrights and patents provide the rights holders with the sole right to
extract the benefit from the works, which can be creative works, such as music, movies, images
or literature, and technological and scientific inventions, which can be embodied in a product or
process.
Counterfeiters and pirates are those who violate intellectual property rights without
permission. Trademark infringements are usually motivated solely by the opportunity to make
profits. Copyright and patent infringement, however, might also be done by individuals who seek
to save money on copyright-protected products.
The consumers in the markets can be of three types. First, consumers who will buy only
legitimate products. Their reasons might be that they deem counterfeited products not safe for
their health or social well-being, or that they value the product because of its authenticity. The
second type is those who will buy a counterfeit or pirated product, even though they know it is
not authentic, under certain conditions. For example, if the price of the infringed product in the
market is much lower than the original, these consumers may buy the infringed one even if it
often has lower quality. Finally, there are also consumers that are apathetic to the IPR status of
the products. These consumers are more likely to buy copyright-infringing products. This is
because these infringements are highly legalistic and technical in nature.
61 |
From the characteristics of producers and consumers discussed above, in the case of
trademark, copyright, and patent infringements, we can technically disaggregate the market into
two interrelated submarkets.
1. Primary Submarket: this submarket is of genuine goods, or perceived-as-genuine
goods. The rights holders sell authentic goods, while counterfeiters sell goods that can
deceive consumers into believing that the goods are authentic.
2. Secondary Submarket: in this submarket, infringing products that do not attempt to
deceive the consumers are traded. Consumers in this submarket know they are buying
pirated products. This is because, unlike consumers in the primary submarket who are
willing to buy only authentic products, these consumers view the pirated products as
acceptable substitutes for the authentic ones. Also, under certain conditions, such as
when the infringing products are offered at a much lower price, consumers in the
primary submarket can become consumers in the secondary submarket. Figure 25
illustrates the effects of counterfeits or piracy in more detail.
Figure 25: Analytical framework of losses from piracy assessment
price
q#
D’orig
quantity
Source: Adapted from OECD (2008)
In the above Figure, the horizontal axis is quantity, and the vertical axis is the price of a
product. In the primary submarket, the demand for authentic goods is depicted by line Dorig. The
legitimate producers set price at p* and the quantity sold is q*. The counterfeit products that can
deceive consumers in this submarket will directly affect the demands for authentic goods,
shifting the demands curve Dorig downward to D’orig. If the price does not change, the quantity of
the authentic goods sold will reduce to q#.
62 |
In the case where consumers know the (pirated) goods are not legitimate, there will be no
incentive for consumers to buy an unauthentic product at price p*. However, when the price of
infringing goods is lower, its demand will increase. The demand for infringing products is
depicted by the curve D’. The increase in demands for infringing products can also be categorized
into two parts. The first is the demand of the consumers in the primary submarket who switched
to infringing products, as they view them as substitutes. This portion is depicted by the curve D”
Secondly, the demand for infringing products rise because of their lower price. This demand
would not exist had the infringing products been unavailable. For example, if the price of
infringing products is at p’, the total quantity demanded for them will be q’, which as explained,
can be divided into two parts. The first part is q’’ and the rest is the demand that would not exist
had the infringing products not available, q’’- q’. The former is directly the loss occurring to the
rights holders in the sense that the demand for authentic products decreases, with the demand
curve shifting downward to Dactual. As we can see, q’’ = q*- q**
Static and dynamic effects of piracy
Figure 26 illustrates the summary of the static effects of infringements in comparison
with their dynamic effects. As previously discussed, the rights holders will lose their revenue
either from the deceiving products in the primary submarket (A) and the substitutes in the
secondary submarket (B). Therefore, static net loss equals sum of these losses (A+B). Losses to
the rights holders can be both sales volume reduction and price pressure.
63 |
Figure 26: Static and dynamic effects of piracy of the right holders
Static effects
Deception
Secondary
submarket
A
Primary submarket
B
C
(no deception)
D
New primary submarket
Dynamic effects
Expected
Actual deception
deception
A’
D’
B’
Secondary
submarket
(no deception)
Primary submarket
C’
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute, adapted from OECD (2008)
Moreover, the presence of infringements also has dynamic effects on the rights holders.
The effects of the deceptive products will also pose significant negative results for legitimate
business in the long run. Deceiving consumers into buying fake or substandard products has an
especially severe impact on brand value and firm reputation. One of the most obvious examples
is fake pharmaceutical products. In this case, consumers are unaware that drugs they have been
taking are not authentic, and think that these drugs are from legitimate firms. When these
products are not effective or have dangerous effects, consumers will no longer trust the
pharmaceutical firms. Also, if the deceptive products are widespread (because of the asymmetric
information in the market) consumers will tend to reduce their trust in the product that has been
copied or pirated. Even though the actual number of infringing products is low, the expectation
of consumers as to how much of the product in the market is counterfeit can be higher than the
actual fact, A becoming A’. However, this is not the case for the secondary submarket.
Since consumers in the secondary submarket are well aware that the products they
consume are fake, in the long run they still buy the pirated products if available, and might buy
an authentic one had the pirated products not been available. However, they still have negative
effects as well on the sales of the rights holders‟ product. On the one hand, piracy will make the
64 |
marketing plan more difficult if not impossible. It is obvious that an unsuccessful marketing plan
will eventually affect the sales of the rights holders‟ products. On the other hand, some economic
studies suggest that lower-priced pirated products can help increase the sales of the authentic
products in the long run, Slive and Bernhardt (1998) for example. Also, in Section 6.6.2 page 74,
we have given an example of studies that argue some types of piracy might help the development
of legitimate firms. For example pirated software copies could expand public awareness and
consumption of the software products. Another example is that the pirated CDs might help small
music labels to promote their songs and increase total revenue as they use the artists‟ popularity
to earn revenue from live performances. From Figure 26 the area D’ can be bigger, smaller than,
or even equal to the original value, area D. Another uncertainty is that when the value of the
primary submarket changes D’, there are possibilities that the area B’ can be larger, smaller than
or equal to the original area B’. For example, even if the primary submarket expands due to the
widespread availability of the infringed products, the additional numbers of sales might not be
offset with the number of sales of unauthentic products. In other words, we cannot derive an
exact relationship between (D’-D) and (A’+B’).
Since the dynamic effects happen in the long run and are difficult to measure, this Section
will attempt to first gauge the static losses due to piracy in our industry cases: movies, music,
information technology (IT), and pharmaceuticals. A more in-depth study on the selected
industries will then be presented that includes both static and dynamic effects.
Applications to the industry cases
In order to accurately assess losses due to piracy, we must correctly identify the nature of
the infringements. Therefore, we first briefly review the current situation in Thailand. The latest
report of the Department of Intellectual Property on Thailand‟s Implementation on Intellectual
Property Rights (March 2008-February 2009) suggests that the number of domestic cases of IPR
violations has decreased over the past three years, but the average number of confiscated items
per case has been increasing. The figures in the report suggest that, although the number of cases
may be decreasing, the scale of infringing operations has been increasing. It is not clear why this
is the case. See Table 50 below.
Table 50: The arrests and seizures of intellectual property infringing
items produced and sold in Thailand
Year
Arrest Cases
Confiscated
items
2008 (Jan.-Nov.)
2007
2006
5,328
7,118
9,575
3,197,865
3,746,036
2,823,588
Average
Confiscated items
per case
600.12
526.28
294.89
Source: Department of Intellectual Property
Table 51 indicates that fewer cases and items were seized by the customs officers in 2008
than domestic officers. The figures seem to have been increasing recently, although the average
65 |
confiscated items per case has reduced. This might be because that the customs officers are stricter in
the recent year.
Table 51: The arrests and seizures of intellectual property
infringing items by the customs officials at borders
Year
Arrest
Cases
Confiscated
items
Average Confiscated
items per case
2008 (Jan.-Nov.)
2007
2006
521
628
222
1,299,024
1,332,319
826,607
2,493.33
2,121.53
3,723.45
Source: Department of Intellectual Property
It is reported that during January – November 2008, 6,672 intellectual property rights
infringement cases were filed. Most cases involved the copyright infringements and trademark
counterfeiting activities (2,626 and 3,952 cases respectively). Table 52 shows the statistics for
2008. It was also reported that more than 1,000,000 pieces of counterfeit pharmaceuticals were
seized by the Food and Drug Administration in January 2009. For more detailed data for
counterfeit pharmaceuticals, please see Section 9 below.
Table 52: Royal Thai Police‟s statistics on IPR infringement suppression efforts in 2008
Types of cases
Copyright infringements
Trademark infringements
Others
Total
Number of cases
Items sized
Estimated Value (THB)
130
200
22
352
172,441
63,748
68,758
304,947
118,059,030
20,261,300
20,200
138,340,530
Source: Department of Intellectual Property
Major infringements in the film or movie industry include optical disc piracy, and
camcorder piracy. The damage caused by mass unauthorized reproduction and distribution of
pirated optical discs, which reportedly are produced in neighboring countries, or over the
Internet, is considerable. Major infringements in the music industry are also optical disc piracy
and unauthorized reproduction and distribution over the Internet. In the IT industry, software
piracy is the major type of infringement. These pirate software producers have violated
copyrighted content. Other copyright infringements occur in the other forms of creative works
including cable TV piracy and book piracy. However, the major infringement in the
pharmaceutical industry is the counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals. Although trademarks can also
be copied so that the label of the disc or the inlay is made to resemble the original as close as
possible and thereby deceive the public, this is quite small in number and therefore negligible in
our assessment of losses.
66 |
Table 53: The major areas that IPR has been most violated in 4 industry cases
Industry
The primary submarket
(Trademark)
Movie
Music
IT
Pharmaceutical
Counterfeit
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
The secondary submarket
Patents
Copyrights
Optical disc and Internet piracy
Optical disc and Internet piracy
Software and Internet piracy
drugs
Table 53 shows the major areas in which IPR has been most violated in four industries:
movies, music, IT, and pharmaceuticals. For the first three industries, we will focus on the
violation of copyrights. In other words, in Thailand the infringement of IPR in these industries is
assumed to occur only in the secondary submarket. For the pharmaceutical industry, we will
focus on the infringement taking place in the primary submarket, the counterfeits.
5.2
Piracy Data and Rate of Substitution
Another important factor in the assessment of the effects of IPR infringements‟ is the
counterfeit and piracy data. We have compiled the data below based on secondary sources as in
Table 54. As these data are from the international institutes, we also need to validate the data
with the local firms or associations.
Table 54: Counterfeit/piracy rates used in the present study
Industry
Motion pictures 1/
Music records 2/
Software 1/
Pharmaceuticals 1/
2008
NA
65%
76%
NA
2007
NA
50%
78%
15%
2006
NA
50%
80%
NA
2005
62%
45%
80%
NA
2004
60%
45%
78%
NA
Sources: 1/ IIPA (2009) 2/ IIPA (2009) 3; BSA (2008) 4/ WHO (2007)
In our company interviews, most companies agreed with 2008 figures. For motion
pictures and pharmaceutical sectors, the interviewed firms expected the figures to remain
roughly unchanged from the last available data.
However, the data that seems to raise questions is the data on the rate of substitution
between authentic goods and pirated goods. As mentioned previously, an increase in demand for
pirated copies is not limited to consumers who prefer authentic goods. The lower-priced pirated
data also create demand that would be zero had no cheaper pirated good been available. A survey
67 |
by the Research Center of Bangkok University shows that the reasons for buying counterfeit or
pirated products are: 1) lower price (48.6% ), 2) the convenience, easier to buy (26.4%), 3)
quality, when it is almost as good as the authentic goods (15.7%), however, 7.3% were not aware
that the product was not authentic. Although this survey gives some idea of why people buy
pirate goods, there is no direct interpretation of the rate of substitution.
To our knowledge, there is no existing study in Thailand on the rate of substitution. The
figure that we have found in the existing literature is a survey in England cited in OECD (2008).
The rate is 45 %, which will be applied to three industry cases directly related to infringements in
the secondary submarket: pirated movies, music, and software. Perfect substitute (one-to-one) is
assumed in the case of pharmaceuticals where infringements occurred.
5.3 Simulation Results
In our simulation, we have specified the sales in the primary submarket to be consistent
with definition of the rate of counterfeit/piracy in Table 54. Firstly, for the movie industry, we
have used the data from the estimated I-O table of the year 2008. Secondly, for the music
industry, since the disaggregated I-O table does not provide data for this industry specifically.
Therefore, we have used the data from expert interviews instead39. Along with IT, we use only
the software data from National Statistics Office. Finally, the data for the pharmaceutical
industry are from the estimated I-O table of the year 2008.
Table 55: Simulation results in case without any forms of IPR infringements
Unit: Million THB
Industry
Movie
Music
IT
Pharmaceutical
Sales of Counterfeit
Sales of the
the
rate
primary
primary
submarket
submarket
(legitimate (percent)
if there is no
sales )
counterfeits
13,911.00
6,000.00
5,283.98
44,207.80
0
0
0
15
13,911.00
6,000.00
5,283.98
50838.97
Piracy
rate
(percent)
60
65
76
0
Sales of
Rate of
Sales of the
the
substitutability
primary
secondary
between
submarket
market
infringing
products and
If there is
authentic ones no piracy
(percent)
8346.6
45
17,666.97
3900
45
7,755.00
4015.8248
45
7,091.10
0
0
0
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
Table 55 shows the results of the simulation. The movie industry had sales to the
legitimate market of around THB 13,911 million. Since we assume no trademark infringement,
the sales of secondary market (pirated goods) is THB 8,347 million. However, since the rate of
substitution between infringing product and authentic product is just 45 %, total sales into the
39
From Mr. Sutthisak Prasatkrarukarn‟s (secretary to the Thailand Music Industry Association) interview in Daily
News under the headline “Music Industry claims 2 billion Baht loss of revenue from piracy,” 30 th January 2008
68 |
primary submarket if there had been no piracy is estimated at THB 17,668 million. Notice that
this figure differs from the sum of sales of the primary and secondary submarket. This is because
a part of the demand in secondary market increases if and only if the fake goods are available.
Similarly, in the music and IT sectors we also assume a zero counterfeit rate. In other
words, there is no IPR infringement in the primary market. Thus the sales to the legitimate
market are THB 6,000 million for music and THB 5,284 million for IT (software). However, if
we assume there is no piracy in these markets, the legitimate sales would become THB 7,755
million and 7,091 in the music and IT (software) respectively. Therefore the losses due to piracy
are estimated at THB 1,755 million for the music industry and THB 1,807 million for the IT
(software) industry.
For the pharmaceutical industry, since the infringement is mostly done in the form of
trademark infringement, we can analyze straightforwardly (the one-to-one) relationship between
the actual legitimate sales and the piracy rate. In this case, the legitimate sales if there were no
counterfeit drugs would be higher than actual legitimate sales by 15 %, or THB 50,839 million.
We can now compare the static effect of piracy. We define losses due to piracy as the difference
between legitimate sales and legitimate sales without IPR infringements or our simulation case.
Table 56 below summarizes the static effects of IPR infringements in the four industry cases on
the economy.
Table 56: The static effects of IPR infringements in 4 industry
cases on the economy
Movie
Music
IT
Pharmaceutical
Total
Direct effects
on economy
(Mil. THB)
-3,755.97
-1,755.00
-1,807.12
-6,631.17
-13,949.26
Multipliers1/
1.62
1.63
1.84
1.59
Multiplier
effects
(Mil.THB)
-6,084.7
-3,229.2
-2,945.6
-10,543.6
-22,803.0
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
1/
Since the I-O table does not have IT as a sector, we do not have multipliers
here. Instead we use the average multipliers of all 180 sectors in the economy.
Counterfeit drugs affect the pharmaceutical sector directly with losses of THB 6,631
million, while the effects of camcorder and optical disk and Internet piracy cost the movie sector
THB 3,756 million. The IT and Music sectors both have direct losses from copyright piracy of
THB 1,807 and THB 1,755 million respectively. Finally the total direct static effect of IPR
infringement is around THB 13,949 million. When we take the multiplier effect into account, the
total loss to the economy is about THB 22,803 million.
69 |
In this section we have discussed the simulation to show the direct static effects of IPR
infringement. However, the damage from IPR infringement is not limited to these direct effects.
Section 6-9 will discuss other effects which are difficult to measure. The effects of IPR
infringement on 1) investment, 2) domestic legitimate market, 3) artistic creativity and
innovation, 4) social and cultural values, and 5) public safety will be analyzed.
6 Industry case 1: The Thai Movie Industry
6.1
Industry Overview
Definition and Scope of Industry
The movie industry involves the production of motion pictures primarily for display in
theaters. However, these movies may also be distributed on optical discs, downloaded from the
Internet or broadcast on television. The industry covers a wide range of activities both before and
after a movie is in the theaters. These activities range from creating a story, casting actors and
actresses, hiring production crews and setting the team, distributing the movies to audiences
through theaters and other mechanisms, selling of the movie‟s copyright, and utilizing any part
of the movie such as the name and licensed characters for other companies‟ business-related
activities. Thailand„s movie industry value was estimated at THB 3,164 million in 2008.
Table 57: The value of Thai movie industry
Unit: Million THB
Categories
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Thai Movies
650
920
840
1,100
1,112
1,654
1,170
2,100
2,200
2,400
1,880
1,772
1,857
1,849
Others
200
212
176
120
257
98
145
Total
2,950
3,332
3,416
3,100
3,141
3,609
3,164
Hollywood Movies
Source: R.S. Public Company Limited‟s Annual Reports 2003-2008
Market Structure and Industry Value Chain
Figure 7,Figure 8andFigure 9 on page 22, show the value chain of Thailand‟s movie
industry and Figure 10 shows the market structure. According to its value chain, the structure of
the movie industry consists of three main components: production, distribution and marketing, and
consumption. The making of a movie begins with the story writing. A production company may
develop its own story or an independent writer may sell her or his story to the company.
Generally, the production company oversees the overall process of the movie production through
its executive producer, funds the production budget, controls other related expenditures, and
distributes the final product to theatres and other sources. While the copyright of the movie is
70 |
owned by the production company, the task of making the movie generally rests on a movieshooting company, which is contracted by the production company. The movie-shooting company
selects the film director, team members, actors, and locations, performs coordinating tasks, and
shoots the movie. The compensation for the movie-shooting company may be paid on either a
lump sum or an activity basis. This procedure is the dominant form of the movie production and
the production process usually takes several months to a year. After the production process ends
and before the movie can be released to the general audience, the movie has to go through a post
production process, which involves many complicated and sophisticated procedures. The film is
edited with added or substituted pictures and sound effects, and finally it is reviewed by the Film
Censorship Board. A film laboratory is then contracted to convert a negative film to a positive one
so that the film can be shown in theatres, and duplicates of the film can be made. Technicolor
(Thailand), Siam Film Development, and Kantana Laboratories are the only three companies in
Thailand which provide laboratory services to production companies.
Table 58 Five largest production companies and the number of produced movies during
2003-2008
Companies
Sahamongkolfilm
RS Film
GMM Tai Hub
Five Star Production
Phranakornfilm
Other Companies
Total
2003
14
6
1
5
2
20
48
2004
12
5
3
5
1
19
45
2005
14
5
3
1
4
11
38
2006
18
5
6
3
4
8
44
2007
12
5
5
4
7
11
44
2008
15
4
5
2
7
15
48
Source: 1) 2003,2004,2005,2006, and 2007 Entertainment Magazine, Extra Edition
2) GMM‟s 2008, 2009 reports on analytical meetings
In the movie industry, large-scale and small-scale companies can be determined by the
extent of the involvement of the production company in the value chain. Large-scale companies
may handle most of the processes in the value chain themselves while smaller companies may
only be involved in the process of making their movies and sell copyrights of the movies to other
VCD- AND DVD-distributing companies. GMM Tai Hub is an example of a large-scale
company which is involved in the entire value chain from a story writing to the production of the
movie to the distribution of VCDs and DVDs.
Generally, foreign producers do not invest in the production of a Thai movie, but they are
involved in the industry through their foreign movies and their distributors. As mentioned,
Columbia Tristar Buena Vista Film (Thailand), Fox Warner (Thailand), and United International
Picture (UIP) are the three largest foreign-movie distributors in Thailand. These distributors
oversee financial interests of the foreign production companies for the entire value chain process.
The distribution and marketing consists of the distribution and sales of the movie‟s
copyright for use in other business-related activities. The compensation which the production
company receives from theatres depends on their agreement. However, generally, if the theatres
are located in Bangkok, the revenue from sales of theatrical tickets is split rather equally between
71 |
theaters and production companies, although a flat rate may apply if the theatres are located in
other provinces. After the film leaves the theatres, the copyright of the movie may be sold to
VCD- and DVD-producing companies, a Cable TV provider, or a Public-access television
station.
Besides the distribution of Thai movies, there is a group of companies whose business
activity is to distribute foreign movies in Thailand. There are two types of distributors operating
in this foreign film-distributing business: dependent and independent distributors.
A dependent distributor is a branch of foreign production company in Thailand and only
distributes movies of its production company. Today, there are only three American companies
distributing American movies of major production companies, collectively called “the major
group.” First, Columbia Tristar Buena Vista Film (Thailand) distributes movies of Columbia
Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Sony Picture Studios, and Walt Disney Pictures. Second, Fox Warner
(Thailand) distributes movies of 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers. Third, United
International Picture (UIP) is a distributor of movies produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(MGM), United Artists (UA), Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, and The Working Title, an
English production company.
Unlike dependent distributors, an independent distributor independently chooses its films
which are mainly imported from the United States and other Asian countries such as Korea,
Japan, and Hong Kong. Examples of independent distributors in Thailand are J-Bics Film,
Sahamongkol Film International, M Picture, and Box Office Entertainment.
Table 59: Movie distributors and the number of distributed movies during 2004-2006
Distributor
2004
2005
2006
Fox Warner
Columbia Tristar Buena Vista Film
UIP
Sahamongkolfilm
Box Office
M Picture
J-Bics
Other Distributors
Total
25
25
16
53
8
4
61
192
22
22
15
54
30
17
19
179
24
18
19
48
27
47
41
31
255
Source: Entertainment Extra Magazine 2005-2007
Another source of revenue for the production company is the utilization of any part of the
film in other companies‟ business-related activities. This use may include the name of the
movies, the licensed characters, or the songs for advertising and/or other commercial purposes.
72 |
Type of Products
Major Cineplex Group and SF Cinema City are the only two main companies in Thailand
in the movie theatre business. Together these two companies own 550 theatres in 67 locations
covering 12 provinces of Thailand. After the movie leaves the theatres, the movie will be
exhibited through other sources which include VCDs, DVDs, a cable television, or public-access
television. This latter source of exhibition is very important to Thai production firms since a
substantial part of their revenues comes from this source. Consequently, some production
companies do not sell their copyrighted material to other distributing companies, but establish
their own department which is solely responsible for producing and distributing their movies in
the form of VCDs and DVDs to movie-selling and renting stores. Some of the companies in the
movie-distributing business are Pongsaap, J-Bics Film, United Home Entertainment, VCD
Entertainment, and VES Entertainment.
Table 60: Theater companies and the number of branches and theaters
Theater Name
Number of
branches
Number of
theatres
Major Cineplex*
Major Cineplex, EGV, Paragon
Cineplex, and Esplanade Cineplex
35
344
SF Cinema City**
SF Cinema City, SF World Cinema,
and SFX Cinema
32
206
Company
Source: Major Cineplex Group‟s 2008 annual report (56-I)*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cinemas_in_Thailand (7 December 2009)**
40
Type of IPR involved
Table 61 below exhibits the related intellectual property rights in the activities in movie
industry: Every activity in movie industry is protected by the copyrights, which enable the
producers and distributors to benefit from the created works. In addition to copyrights, the
distribution channel of physical materials such as VCDs and DVDs is also related to another
intellectual property: trademark. The trademark will help consumers to differentiate works of
different producers or distributors.
40
The definitions of these types of IPR in Thailand are given in Appendix 2
73 |
Table 61: Types of IPR involved in movie industry
Copyrights
Patent
Product
design
patent
Invention
patent
Trademark
Petty
patent
Movie Content Production
X
Distribution
X
Theaters
X
Physical copies
X
Cable/public
X
televisions
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
6.2
Trade
secret
Geographical
indications
X
Assessment of Impact from Piracy
6.2.1 Piracy Analysis
Magnitude
Figure 27 below shows Thailand‟s movie piracy rate during 1995-2005. The piracy rate
in Thailand fluctuated within a range of 50-70% during 1995-2005. The rate was at 50% in 1997
and 1998, and then increased to 55% in 1999, 60% in 2000, and 65% in 2001. The problem of
piracy in the movie industry was the most widespread in Thailand in 2002, with a rate of 70%.
With the exception of 2002, the rate was stable around 60-65% from 2000-2005.
Figure 27: Thailand‟s movie piracy rate
Source: IIPA (2009)
74 |
Because movie piracy is widespread in Thailand, pirated VCDs and DVDs can be bought
freely from small entrepreneurs in public places such as department stores and pedestrian
walkways. The representative firms we have interviewed confirmed that every Thai movie,
whether famous or not, is copied immediately after it‟s first time exhibition in the cinema. This
suggests the severity of the problem of camcorder piracy. Also, in some cases, piracy involves a
criminal organization. Consequently, the problem of movie piracy in Thailand is very complex
and the enforcement of existing laws is often ineffective.
Types of Infringement
Copyright infringement in the movie industry is in the form of pirated movie DVDs and
VCDs and illegal downloads of movies. The pirated VCDs and DVDs are available for sales in
the public place such as some department stores and pedestrian paths in many areas such as
along Silom Road in Bangkok. The prices of pirated VCDs and DVDs are much lower than those
of legal VCDs and DVDs, and the differences can range from 50% to 70%.
Also, pirated movies can be downloaded from the Internet with the aid of Peer-to-Peer
networks and other file sharing programs. Movies can be downloaded through the Internet at no
cost, and this illegal method is becoming more popular among teenagers and young adults.
Moreover, trademark infringement in the form of using the label or trademark of movie
production houses on the cover of infringed products is also widespread.
6.2.2 Effects of piracy on the movie industry
6.2.2.1 Effect on investment
The data on Thailand‟s theatrical movie industry are very limited, with most sets of data
being available only from 2002-2008. Table 62 shows the value of the Thai movie industry from
2002-2008. Despite enjoying moderate growth in the 2000s, the industry experienced turbulence
in 2005 and 2008. The value of Thailand‟s movie industry has been about 2.95-3.6 billion baht
from 2002 to the present. During this period, the movie industry experienced a drop in its value
in 2005 and 2008, with a drop from 3.41 billion in 2004 to 3.10 billion in 2005, and from 3.61
billion in 2007 to 3.16 billion in 2008.
Table 62: The value of Thai movie
Unit: Million THB
Categories
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Thai Movies
650
920
840
1,100
1,112
1,654
1,170
Hollywood Movies
2,100
2,200
2,400
1,880
1,772
1,857
1,849
Others
200
212
176
120
257
98
145
Total
2,950
3,332
3,416
3,100
3,141
3,609
3,164
Source: R.S. Public Company Limited‟s 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Annual Reports
Generally, the revenue from sales of theatrical tickets is split rather equally between
theaters and production companies, and is the main source of income for both theaters and
production companies. As a result, the impact of movie piracy on the theatrical business and on
the production companies are very similar. Table 63 shows the number of Thai movies shown in
75 |
theaters during 2002-2008. Figure 28 compares the number of theatrical movies to the piracy rate
during 2003-2005. From the graph, the opposite movement between the number of theatrical
movies and the piracy rate can be observed most clearly in 2005. However, this does not in and
of itself provide sufficient evidence of causality that the piracy rate actually affects the number
of theatrical movies. It must be recognized that other factors may have concurrently influenced
this apparent connection.
Table 63: The number of Thai movies shown in theaters during 2002-2008
Companies
Sahamongkolfilm
RS Film
GMM Tai Hub
Five Star Production
Phranakornfilm
Other Companies
Total
2003
14
6
1
5
2
20
48
2004
12
5
3
5
1
19
45
2005
14
5
3
1
4
11
38
2006
18
5
6
3
4
8
44
2007
12
5
5
4
7
11
44
2008
15
4
5
2
7
15
48
Source: 1) 2003,2004,2005,2006, and 2007 Entertainment Magazine, Extra Edition
2) GMM‟s 2008, 2009 reports on analytical meetings *
Figure 28: The number of Thai movies and the movie industry‟s piracy rate
Source: 1) 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 Entertainment Magazine, Extra Edition*
2) IIPA (2009)**
Table 64 shows production companies‟ revenues from movie theaters, and Table 65
shows production companies‟ average revenues per movie during 2003-2008. During this period,
the total revenue of all the companies decreased in 2004 and 2008. The decrease in total revenue
in 2008 may have resulted from a very large increase in total revenue in 2007. In 2007, the total
revenue increased from 1.16 billion in 2006 to 1.69 billion baht. Generally, the total revenue is
76 |
about 1 billion baht each year. In terms of average revenue per movie, there were drops in the
average revenue per movie in 2004, 2006, and 2008. Figure 29 compares production companies‟
total revenue and the movie piracy rate during 2003-2005. From the graph, no correlation
between total revenue and piracy rate is exhibited.. Thus, the investment in movie production
might not be significantly affected.
Nevertheless, thanks to the fact that movie companies have to spread the risk because
each individual movie will not make a profit, the number of movies is still stable as shown in
Table 63. However, piracy has reduced the expected income, and thereby the absolute
investment of movie production companies. Although there is no statistic to show this, we have
learned from interviews with movie makers that some companies have reduced the average cost
of movie production in order to reduce the risk of loss. This could hurt the quality of Thai
movies in general and tends to limit the type of movies made to the most profitable genres.
Table 64: Production companies‟ revenues from theaters during 2003-2008
Production Company
Sahamongkolfilm
RS Film
GMM Tai Hub
Five Star Production
Phranakornfilm
Other Companies
Total
2002
627.3
2003
265.00
133.50
137.60
48.30
22.00
304.40
910.80
2004
266.00
106.50
225.80
34.20
12.00
153.10
797.60
2005
558.60
137.90
132.00
30.70
174.70
68.50
1102.40
2006
2007*
509.90 390.55
195.10 231.32
287.00 257.34
21.50
80.98
63.30
119.71
84.70
615.94
1161.50 1695.84
2008*
392.50
79.72
247.74
85.56
128.26
206.67
1140.45
Source: 1) The 2002, 2003,2004,2005,2006, and 2007 Entertainment Magazine, Extra Edition
2) GMM‟s 2008, 2009 reports on analytical meetings*
Table 65: Production companies‟ average revenue of movies shown in theaters during 2003-2008
Companies
Sahamongkolfilm
RS Film
GMM Tai Hub
Five Star Production
Phranakornfilm
Other Companies
Average Revenue
2002
28.51
2003
18.93
22.25
137.60
9.66
11.00
15.22
18.98
2004
22.17
21.30
75.27
6.84
12.00
8.06
17.72
2005
39.90
27.58
44.00
30.70
43.68
6.23
29.01
2006
28.33
39.02
47.83
7.17
15.83
10.59
26.40
2007*
21.70
46.26
42.89
26.99
29.93
76.99
38.54
2008*
32.71
15.94
49.55
21.39
18.32
18.79
25.92
Source: 1) Calculated from the 2003,2004,2005,2006, and 2007 Entertainment Magazine, Extra Edition
2) Calculated from GMM‟s 2008, 2009 reports on analytical meetings*
77 |
Figure 29: Production companies‟ total revenue and the movie industry‟s piracy rate
Source: 1) 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 Entertainment Magazine, Extra Edition*
2) IIPA**
6.2.2.2 Effect on legitimate domestic market
The effects of movie piracy on the legitimate domestic market are focused on the
distribution channels. The distributors of physical copies, such as VCDs and DVDs, have been
directly affected. The exhibition channels, like theatrical businesses seem to be less affected.
The most affected: legitimate optical discs business
Selling movie VCDs and DVDs represents a part of business in the movie industry that
appears to be negatively affected by piracy. Legitimate movie VCDs and DVDs do not
necessarily provide the movie audience with benefits which are clearly different from those of
illegitimate VCDs and DVDS. The quality of theatre exhibition ofl movies, by providing a larger
screen or premium sound, is far greater than that of a pirated movie VCDs or DVDs. Legitimate
movie VCDs or DVDs, in contrast, do not enjoy a comparable edge over the pirated ones. While
the quality of legitimate movie VCDs or DVDs is not, in general, significantly, different from
that of pirated VCDs or DVDs, their prices are. While a legitimate movie VCD or DVD allows
consumers to watch the same movie several times over, this unique aspect is also offered by a
pirated movie VCD and DVD. It comes as no surprise therefore that the case of Pongsaap Public
Company Limited (Pongsaap) reveals the presence of the negative impact of movie piracy on
Thailand„s domestic business. Pongsaab is one of the leading companies in the movie VCD and
DVD business, and its case is a good example of how piracy adversely affects this business.
78 |
Piracy may also force companies to cut the budgets available for movie production and
VCD and DVD distribution. Also, while production companies may not be affected by the
piracy in term of the companies‟ revenue, movie piracy affects them psychologically. Due to
cheaper pirated VCDs and DVDs, production companies and other businesses in the value chain
try to strive to lower their cost of production. For instance, VCD and DVD distributors may
switch from hard plastic to soft plastic envelopes to reduce their packaging costs. In the process,
consumers that are apathetic to IPR status may well benefit from the lower prices of VCDs and
DVDs.
Figure 30 shows the accumulated number of VCD/DVD players in Thailand during 20002008.
Figure 31 shows the estimated price of a DVD player and the estimated price of a VCD player
during 2000-2008. It can be seen that there have been strong increases in the number of VCD
and DVD players, which are complementary products to movie VCDs and DVDs . The number
of VCDs and DVDs players together increased from 0.65 million players in 2000 to more than
16.5 million in 2008. The estimated price of a DVD player decreased significantly from 16,643
baht in 2000 to 1,662 baht in 2008. Also, the estimated price of a VCD player significantly
decreased from 4,545 baht in 2000 to 1,000 baht in 2008. Intuitively, all these circumstances
should have enhanced the growth of sales of movie VCDs and DVDs. However, the case of
Pongsaap demonstrates the opposite, largely due to the impact of piracy.
Figure 30: The accumulated number of VCD/DVD players in Thailand
Source: GFK Marketing Service Thailand
79 |
Figure 31: Estimated price of a DVD player and estimated price of a VCD player in Thailand
Source: GFK Marketing Service Thailand
Figure 32 shows Pongsaap‟s total revenue, profit, and loss during 2002-2008.
Pongsaap‟s revenue began declining in 2005 and it experienced losses in 2006. Table 66 shows
Pongsaap‟s reasons for the decrease in its revenue from its wholesale business as well as its
renting and sales of copyrighted products. Beginning in 2006, Pongsaap was hardly able to sell
its VCDs and DVDs to other distributors in the market. Another important aspect pointed out by
Table 66 is that the VCD- and DVD-renting business also experienced continued turbulence
from 2005 onward. Revenue from the renting and sales of copyrights for renting business
decreased from 144.13 million baht in 2005 to 47.6 million baht in 2006. In 2008, Pongsaap
received only about 10.7 million baht in revenue from the renting and sales of copyrights for
renting business. This demonstrates that the VCD- and DVD-renting business, which should
have also benefited from an increase in the number of VCD and DVD players, does not benefit.
The phenomenon of losses of Pongsaap appears counter-intuitive as one would have
expected the company to benefit from an increase in the number of VCDs and DVDs players.
The likely explanation for Pongsaap‟s losses is that an increase in the number of VCDs and
DVDs players, as complementary products to movie VCDs and DVDs, encouraged the growth of
pirated movie VCDs and DVDs rather than the sales of legitimate VCDs and DVDs or the
renting business.
80 |
Figure 32: Pongsaap‟s value of copyrights, revenues on sales and services, total revenues, and
profits (losses)
Source: Pongsaap‟s 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 annual reports
Table 66: Pongsaap‟s revenue structure
Unit: Millions THB
Revenue Structure
Home Entertainment
Products
- Wholesale
- Retail
Renting, Sales of
Copyrights for renting,
and other services
Others
Total
2002
829.00
2003
2004
2005
2006
1,361.52 1,458.19 1,616.84 1,073.28
2007
2008
659.35
609.87
286.00
543.00
680.64
680.89
684.62
773.57
901.94
714.9
369.5
703.78
103.62
555.73
117.32
492.55
80.00
89.9
81.36
144.13
47.6
23.24
10.7
2.00
912.00
4.68
1,456.1
29.06
711.65
48.13
668.7
7.47
5.03
40.91
1,547.02 1,766.00 1,161.79
Source: Pongsaab‟s 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 annual reports
Theatrical business: the survival?
Public opinion on how piracy affects the movie industry has been divided. However,
contrary to conventional belief, the impact of piracy on the theatrical movie industry has been
perceived positively among scholars. “Piracy Impact on the Theatrical Movie Industry” by Sung
Wook Ji (2007) is one of the academic papers which suggest the net positive impact of piracy on
the industry. Sung Wook Ji hypothesizes that piracy has both positive and negative impacts on
the legitimate sales of movie products. On the one hand, piracy decreases legitimate sales,
because illegitimate and cheaper options are now available to the public. As a result, the
81 |
legitimate sales of movie tickets decrease, because fewer people go to see movies at theaters. On
the other hand, piracy also enhances positive network externalities and diffusion of information,
thereby increasing the number of consumers and the value of legitimate sales of movie tickets.
Sung Wook Ji used a set of theatrical movie and piracy rate data for 20 countries from 1999 to
2004 including those for Thailand. He concluded that the theatrical movie industry may benefit
in the short term from the greater impact of positive network externalities and diffusion of
information.
Sung Wook Ji explained this phenomenon as the effect of “word-of-mouth
41
communication. ” He explained that because time is limited, people must make quick decisions
on how they want to spend their time and what movies they want to watch. In order to maximize
the benefits from their time spent and watch the movies that they enjoy the most, they use the
information from the people who have already seen the movies they are considering watching.
These people who diffuse information to other people may have either watched the movie legally
or illegally. Consequently, if the information passing to those who are considering watching a
movie is positive, the effect of “word-of-month communication” increases the legitimate sales of
movie‟s tickets. Other explanations for positive impacts are as follows: 1) Movie files are large.
Illegally copying movie files is thus time-consuming and difficult. 2) The quality of a theatrical
movie and that of a pirated movie VCD or DVD is significantly different; a theater offers
consumers premium sound and a large screen. 3) Watching movies is time-consuming. VCDs
and DVDs may allow consumers to watch the same movie several times. However, consumers
generally prefer watching several movies rather than the same movie several times. As a result,
the advantage of owning a VCD or DVD, which allows consumers to watch the movie several
times, is not significant.
Table 67: The list of countries included in Sung Wook Ji‟s study
1. Argentina
2. India
5. Chile
6. Indonesia
9. China
10. Israel
13. Columbia
14. Italy
17. Hungary
18. Malaysia
Source: Sung Wook Ji (2007)
41
3. Mexico
7. Philippines
11. Poland
15. Romania
19. Russia
4. South Korea
8. Taiwan
12. Thailand
16. Turkey
20. Venezuela
The explanation under this theory, however, is quite weak as it ignores the possible adverse effects of word-ofmouth communication.
82 |
Figure 33: Production companies‟ total average revenue per movie and the movie
industry‟s piracy rate
Source: 1) 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 Entertainment Magazine, Extra Edition*
2) International Intellectual Property Alliance**
Figure 34 shows Major Cineplex‟s revenue and cost of cinema business. The data include
revenue from ticket sales and all other sources of revenue such as membership fees and sales of
food and drinks. Major Cineplex is the largest company specializing in the theatrical business in
Thailand. Hence, Major Cineplex„s data should reflect rather accurately the picture of the impact
of piracy on companies in the theatrical business. Major Cineplex‟s revenue from its cinema
business increased continuously from 0.83 billion Baht in 2001 to 2.81 billion baht in 2007. The
revenue then dropped to 2.45 billion baht in 2008. However, during the past decade, Major
Cineplex operated profitably every year, even in 2008, reflecting the growth trend of the
theatrical business in Thailand. Table 68 also shows that Major Cineplex increased its investment
in the industry during 2004-2008 by increasing the number of movie theaters, movie screens, and
seats. From 2004 to 2008 the number of seats increased from 56,064 to 84,450 seats,
representing a growth rate of 50.63% over 4 years. Figure 35 shows no relationship between
Major Cineplex„s revenue and the rate of movie piracy during 2001-2005.
83 |
Figure 34: Major Cineplex’s revenue and cost of cinema business
Source: Major Cineplex‟s 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 annual reports
Table 68: The number of Major Cineplex‟s screens (seats)
Branches
Branch under Major Cineplex
Branch under EGV
Paragon Cineplex
Esplanade Cineplex
Total
2004
135
(34,200)
99
(21,864)
234
(56,064)
2005
162
(39,900)
96
(19,600)
258
(59,500)
2006
173
(43,000)
87
(19,000)
16
(4,500)
12
(2,700)
288
(69,200)
Source: Major Cineplex‟s 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 annual reports
84 |
2007
206
(50,700)
82
(18,400)
16
(4,600)
12
(2,800)
316
(76,500)
2008
235
(58,850)
81
(18,200)
16
(4,600)
12
(2,800)
344
(84,450)
Figure 35: Major Cineplex’s revenue and the movie piracy rate
Source: 1) Major Cineplex‟s 2004, 2005, and 2006 reports*
2) IIPA(2009)*
42
In summary, according to the available data , it seems that those in the movie VCD and
DVD business are the business group most affected by piracy. This is because it is competing
directly with the widespread optical disc piracy. Unlike in the physical material distribution
business, the ability of pirated products to substitute for the experience provided by the theatre
business is very low. The data for Major Cineplex, the biggest theater chain company, shows
steady increases in revenue and growth despite the high degree of movie piracy. It appears that
pirated movies do not directly compete with the movie theater experience. However, in the long
run, it is clear that piracy diverts money away from overall movie industry, thereby undermining
production companies‟ incentives to invest in the production of new movies and, consequently,
reducing the sales of movie tickets at theaters.
The data indicates that piracy also reduces the funds available for movie production and
VCD and DVD distribution. Also, while production companies may not be greatly affected by
piracy in term of the companies‟ revenue, movie piracy affects them and also those in the
industry psychologically. Due to cheaper pirated VCDs and DVDs, the production companies
and other businesses in the value chain strive to lower their cost of production. For instance,
VCD and DVD distributors may switch from hard plastic to soft plastic envelopes to reduce their
packaging costs. Production companies may spend less on writers, actors and production and
post-production technicians, thereby reducing the quality and competitiveness of Thai movie
production.
42
Using the data of occupancy rate of each theater, for example, is more appropriate for assessing the effects on
theatrical business. However, such data are not available.
85 |
6.2.2.3 Effect on Artistic Creativity
In order to investigate how piracy affects artistic creativity in the movie industry, two
factors are assumed to influence creativity: compensation and artistic expression. The intuitive
rationale behind this assumption is based on a typical movie writer‟s goal in her or his
profession. If the writer‟s goal is compensation for his written story, the piracy, which may
lower her or his income, may affect the writer psychologically and, consequently, lead to his
deteriorating creativity. On the other hand, if the writer‟s goal is to express ideas, put forth
statements, or exhibit artistic abilities, how the piracy affects the writer‟s creativity then depends
on the extent to which the piracy opens the door of opportunity to achieving such goal
Generally, a movie writer‟s compensation can be either on a lump-sum basis, a percentof-revenue basis, or a combination of both. In Thailand, script writers are mostly compensated
on the lump-sum basis. Figure 33 above reveals production companies‟ average revenue per
movie and the movie industry‟s piracy rate. It can be seen there that production companies‟
average revenue per movie had a positive correlation with the piracy rate during 2002-2005. If
the writer‟s compensation is on the percent-of-revenue basis, the writer‟s compensation then
increased during 2004-2005. At the same time, the piracy rate increased in 2005 as well. The
reverse also held true during 2002-2003. The compensation decreased in 2003 from 2002 as well
as the piracy rate. And the compensation and the piracy rate remained relatively stable during
2003-2004. While this may not provide strong evidence that piracy actually increases the writer‟s
compensation during 2002-2005, it indicates that based on the percent-of-revenue basis, the
piracy rate did not decrease or at least did not have a significantly negative effect on the writer‟s
immediate compensation. Hence, based on the percentage basis and the available information,
the conventional perception that piracy negatively affects creativity is arguable.
A script writer‟s total compensation does not depend on the revenue of the movies that
the writer wrote, but the number of movies in theaters and the financial position of the
production companies contracting him or her. Unlike in the music industry, script writers are
usually unknown to the general audience, giving them less bargaining power. In the music
industry, famous content creators, such as song writers, singers and composers, are usually
known to the public. Thus, these creators have more bargaining power than those in movie
industry. Table 63 above shows the number of Thai movies in theaters during 2003-2005. It
can be seen there that the number of Thai movies in theaters stayed relatively stable at around
44-48 movies during 2003-2008. The only year with a relative low number of movies was in
2003, with 38 Thai movies shown in theaters. On the lump-sum basis, given that the number of
writers in the industry was relatively stable during the period, the compensation given to movie
writers was relatively stable during 2003-2008, except for that of 2005. Figure 28 above shows
the number of Thai movies and the movie industry‟s piracy rate. This shows that, while the
piracy rate increased from 60 to 62% from 2004 to 2005, the number of Thai movies decreased
from 45 to 38 during the same interval. However, this correlation is not strong. If the piracy rate
did cause the number of Thai movies to decrease in 2005, the piracy decreased the writers‟
compensation and thus may well have negatively affected creativity. This suggests a possibility
that, if piracy is very widespread to the point where production companies decide to lower their
investment in the production of movies, creativity will be adversely affected. Due to limited
86 |
piracy rate data, it is not clear if the drop in the number of Thai movies in 2005 was caused by
piracy. However, from Table 63above, it can be seen that the number of movies was relatively
stable during 2003-2008. Hence, given that the number of writers in the industry was also
relative stable, writers‟ creativity was indifferent to piracy during the period.
Movies also allow writers to express ideas, put forth statements, and exhibit inner, artistic
abilities. Under this assumption, piracy would enhance writers‟ artistic creativity (assuming they
have no financial motivations). With pirated movie products and the existence of the Internet,
more groups of people gain access to once-inaccessible movies. In the short run, this could mean
that Thai movies become more available to people in other countries and to those with low
purchasing power. In the long run, however, piracy threatens the ability of Thai producers to
raise the quality and quantity of Thai movies.
6.2.2.4 Effect on Social and Cultural Values
An important aspect of creative works, such as movies, music, games and literature is
that it represents and promotes key cultural values of that society. Not only do foreigners learn
about Thailand through movies or music, but such works allow Thai people to absorb diverse
and complex aspects of Thailand‟s social and cultural values. For instance, Thai people from the
central plain of Thailand can learn about the northern culture or learn how to behave
appropriately while travelling to the southern region through movies. Young Thais can learn
about their ancestors and Thai society in the past through movies. In this aspect, movies are a
vehicle for cultural exchange which helps preserve and promote Thailand‟s social and cultural
values
Piracy may not affect Thailand‟s social and cultural value directly. However, it could be
argued that Thai social and cultural values are more accessible to other countries because of the
greater ease of access due to pirated movies and illegal downloads. With Internet access, this
process of cultural and value exchange, once difficult, is now just a computer click away. And,
with the availability of programs such as peer-to-peer networks, movies from different countries
are transferred, and different cultures and values move across borders in a matter of seconds.
Piracy may well undermine Thailand‟s social and cultural value if the Thai people are
overexposed to foreign movies. But the other side of the coin is that seeing different cultures
might help Thai people realize more clearly what values they have. And, with the availability of
pirated movie VCDs and DVDS and illegal movie downloads, the rate of exposure is
accelerated. Overall, however, it is clear that the negative effects of piracy, especially the effect
of reducing production budgets available for quality movie making, far outweigh possible
positive effects.
6.2.2.5 Effect on Public Safety
Criminal organization
Piracy is often a funding source for organized international crime. Organized crime has
been defined internationally (by the United Nations, 2006) as a group of three or more persons
who work together over a period of time to commit one or more serious crimes in order to obtain
a financial or other material benefit. Counterfeiting and piracy however, are illegal activities but
87 |
are not, in most instances, considered serious crimes. They are attractive areas for criminal
networks because, while the profitability is high, the risk of prosecution is low and can
sometimes be further reduced through the bribery of the authorities responsible for enforcing IPR
laws and regulations. The proof of this fact is that the majority of the people in Thailand,
including the police and other responsible authorities, know where pirated or counterfeit copies
of creative products can be purchased, but the counterfeits continue to be available.
The overall extent of organized crime involvement is difficult to document, but, from
available information, it appears that organized crime is heavily involved and that the groups
involved are based in many areas of the world, including Thailand. The Asian “triads,” groups
based primarily in Hong Kong while also active in Taiwan and mainland China, are known to be
involved in heroin trafficking from South-East Asia to the United States, prostitution, gambling,
money laundering and alien smuggling. They also have been reported to be connected to the
selling of pirated DVDs in London. Examples of links of organized crime to counterfeiting and
piracy are shown below.
Table 69: Examples of international organized crimes
Groups
Asian triads
Irish groups
Israeli group with Russian origins
Italian and Eastern European gangs
Russian mafia
Activity
Sale of pirated DVDs in London
Children‟s toys, batteries, power tools
and veterinary drugs in Northern Ireland
Sale of counterfeit products in Japan
Importation of pirated CDs into Italy
Sales of pirated CDs in London
Source: OECD (2008)
In Thailand, a black list containing the names of the dominant figures in pirated products
has been created. The names of 41 security officials (police and soldiers) involved were also
released into the public, showing direct connections between corrupted law enforcement officials
and piracy.
Censorship and Thai society
According to the 1930 Film Act, companies operating a movie theater business are
required to submit all films that they plan to show to the Film Censorship Board for review. The
Film Censorship Board classifies movies into seven categories which are limited to audiences in
certain age group. Table 70 shows the seven classifications for censorship and their description.
The classification of Nor20- (Rate 6) is of interest in terms of how piracy undermines public and
social safety. Movies classified as Rate 6 are restricted for people under 20 years of age because
of their sexually or violently inappropriate contents. Foreign movies classified as Rate 6 are
listed in Table 71 and, under the 2008 Film Act, no one younger than 20 years of age is allowed
to watch these movies in theaters or buy legal VCDs and DVDs from stores such as Pongsaap‟s.
88 |
However, due to the easy availability of pirated movie VCDs and DVDs and illegal
downloads, the enforcement of the 2008 Film Act is rendered ineffective. Minors under 20 years
of age can get access to movies classified as Rate 6 and Rate 7. With the availability of movie
piracy, some minors are exposed to sexually and violently inappropriate contents at a relatively
young age. This may have implications for the behavior of these young people, their
development as adults, and, possibly, other people‟s safety. Nevertheless, censorship also has
negative effects on creativity as well and has been criticized as an ineffective measure.
Table 70: Movie classification for censorship
Classification
Sor (Rate 1)
Thor (Rate 2)
Nor 13+ (Rate 3)
Nor 15+ (Rate 4)
Nor 18+ (Rate 5)
Nor 20- (Rate 6)
Rate 7
Description
educational films people are encouraged to see
films suitable for the general audience
Advisory: films suitable for those over 13
Advisory: films suitable for those over 15
Advisory: films suitable for those over 18
films restricted for persons under 20, age limits enforced by cinemas
films banned from being screened in the Kingdom.
Source: http://www.majorcineplex.com/thai-movie-ratings.php
Table 71: Movies classified as Nor 20
Movie
My Wife Got Married
Portrait of A Beauty
ER REY
The Last House
Ang Kapit Ni Mrs. Montero
Miss March
The Hills Run Red
The Forbidden Legend Sex & Chopsticks I, II
Sundome
Country of Origin
Korea
Korea
America
America
Philippines
America
America
Hong Kong
Japan
Source: The Office of the Film Censorship Board
Movie piracy, while illegal and unfair, has both positive and negative impacts on the
movie industry. While it undermines the legal VCDs and DVDs business, it enhances diffusion
of information and helps people decide on the choice of movies they would enjoy spending their
limited time the most, thereby increasing production companies‟ and theaters‟ revenues. While
piracy may encourage some movie writers through wider distribution, the major impact is to
undermine financial returns and therefore limit the incentive for quality and creativity. To a
limited extent easier availability of Thai movies helps spread Thai social and cultural values
internationally but, at the same time, undermines those values domestically. It weakens Thai
laws and exposes minors to sexually and violently inappropriate contents. The effect of piracy
has two facets. With the Internet and the difficulty of controlling the sale of pirated movie
89 |
products, the elimination of piracy in the movie industry is nearly impossible. Therefore policy
should focus on the enforcement of the existing laws to limit the piracy rate to the minimum
possible. A lower rate of piracy would enhance the growth of the movie industry, reduce the
losses in the VCD and DVD business, encourage creativity, limit the exposure of the Thai
society to foreign influences, preserve Thai social and cultural values, and prevent minors from
being exposed to inappropriate contents.
7
Industry case 2: Music
7.1
Industry Overview
Definition and Scope of Industry
The music industry creates and sells compositions, recordings, and performances of
music. The industry encompasses the activity of many music-related businesses and
organizations ranging from a composer writing lyrics of a song, a publishing company collecting
fees from an advertising company that uses its client‟s song, to a concert event organizer and his
backstage crew. The Thai music market is estimated to be worth THB 6,000 million in 2008 with
Thai music owning roughly 80% of the market share and international music owning the
remaining 20%. Thai music itself can be classified into modern Thai and folk. The local music
market is mostly tied to only a few major record labels such as GMM Grammy, RS Ltd
Promotion, Small Room etc. Other than creating economic value, the music industry also plays
an important role in creating social value as the industry helps to endorse traditional Thai culture
through its various products.
Based on the IFPI‟s Recorded Music Sales yearly report, Thailand‟s recorded music retail
value was about USD 65.4 million in 2007, which is approximately THB 2,258 million using the
2007 average exchange rate. Recorded music sales suffered a decline of 17.9% in annual growth,
4.45% more than the top six‟s average of 12.85% decline. Thailand‟s value of purchase of
recorded music per person in 2007 was only USD 1 compared to an average of USD 30 per
person in the top six music countries. This shows that Thailand‟s music industry is so
underdeveloped that while almost everyone in Thailand consumes music of some sort, the
population is only paying just a little over 30 baht on average to the creators of that music.
90 |
Table 72: 2007 global recorded music sales of Thailand compared to 6 major countries
Music Videos
Retail Value
Singles
(Mil.)
CDs
(Mil.)
DVDs
(Mil)
VHS
Cassettes
(Mil)
USD
(Mil)
U.S.A
3.3
511.1
26.6
0.9
7,985.6
Japan
57.6
176.5
17.1
0.2
4,174.0
7,985.6
491,553.
1
U.K
11.3
139
5.2
-
2,696.4
1,348.2
Germany
10.6
111.3
9.1
-
2,142.2
1,563.8
France
7.9
62.6
4.9
-
1,471.0
1,073.9
Australia
2.6
33.8
4.5
0.001
564.8
677.7
Thailand
Global
Retail
Value
-
6.2
8.1
-
65.4
2,258.0
Country
Local
Currency
(Mil)
Local
Currency
Value of
Purchase
per
Person
(USD)
(Mil)
GDP
Per
Capita
in 2008
(USD)
-19.9%
26.3
303.8
47,440
-6.0%
32.8
127.3
34,116
-18.2%
44.3
60.9
36,358
-3.7%
26.0
82.4
35,539
-19.2%
22.9
64.1
34,205
-12.7%
27.4
20.6
36,918
-17.3%
1.0
65.5
8,239
Annual Growth
Units
16.1%
10.4%
17.0%
-3.7%
19.5%
10.4%
17.9%
Population
25,258.
40
Source: IFPI‟s recorded music sales (2009), IMF (2008)
Market Structure and Industry value chain
The value chain of the music industry can be divided into four parts, and the structure of
the industry is as shown in Figure 36 below. In summary, the main activities of the Thai
companies in the music industry involve putting the human resources together to create music
contents, using various media to promote the contents, and then selling the contents through
various channels. For international record labels, the business either involves importing copies to
be sold in Thailand (EMI, Warner Music and Universal Music Group) or producing a master
copy and having the subsidiary in Thailand produce copies locally to be sold (Sony BMG Music,
Thailand). The value chain in detail is described below
1. Resource recruitment - The process is the coming together of the human resources –
such as, the artists, producers, managers, and content makers. This involves searching
for new talent, selecting and creating artists. There are many ways possible – such as,
listening to demonstrations, auditions, and hosting various competitions. The obvious
examples of searching for artists by hosting competition would be “The Star”
competition and the “True Academy Fantasia”.
2. Production - This is the part where the content is created. Once the resources have
come together, either with or without the record label, the producer (and possibly the
record label) makes the decision on the genre and which artists to use, the composer
creates the lyrics and tune, and the master copy or the “content” is created. The
process of creating the master from the lyrics and tunes involves sound arrangers,
musicians, singers, and sound engineers. The composers in Thailand can be subdivided into two groups, those that earn monthly income from their employers (the
91 |
record labels), and those that are freelancers. The majority of composers in Thailand
belong to the latter category.
In the music industry, large-scale and small-scale companies can be determined by the
extent of the involvement of the company in the value chain. Large-scale companies may handle
all the processes in the value chain themselves while smaller companies operate only in parts of
the chain. For example, GMM Grammy, Thailand‟s biggest record label is involved in all parts
of the value chain while a much smaller company may only put the resources together to produce
a master copy, hire other companies to look after the copyrights, promote and sell the content
then share the revenues according to the contracts signed. The cost structure of creating a single
album is shown in Table 733 below.
Table 73: Cost structure of creating an album
Process
Producing Master
Promotion
Distribution
Percentage of Total Cost
10
60-70
20-30
Source: interview with producers
Foreign producers‟ involvement usually starts in the second part of the value chain. They
either produce a master copy and have the subsidiary in Thailand promote the artist and produce
copies locally to be sold (Sony BMG Music) or sell the rights managed by a publishing company
to a local record label or company (known as sales representatives), then have that company do
the rest of the processes in the value chain. Thai record labels also operate this process when
exporting the products. Some sales representatives choose to import copies and not produce them
locally, which would mean a higher cost of production per unit.
3. Promotion - The success or failure of an album is largely determined by the record
labels‟ ability to secure exposure through various media and then to sell the contents
through various products. The promotion process concerns the publicizing of the
artists and their songs. It can be divided into two parts: above-the-line and below-theline promotion. Above-the-line promotion includes using the media – such as
television, printed media, radio, and websites – in which there are often some
expenses involved if the media used is not a subsidiary of the record label. Belowthe-line promotion involves all other promotion – such as, getting the artists involved
in different campaigns, concerts, and other events. Trademarks can be involved where
logos of companies are used to promote the products. For large record labels, the
promotion process is often over half of the total cost of the record.
4. Sale of content - The last part of the music industry‟s value chain involves selling the
contents created in the previous parts through various products.
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Figure 36: Value chain of Thailand‟s music industry
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
Type of Products
The products of the industry include physical43 and digital copies of the album through
wholesale; physical retail and online retail; show business such as performing in concerts and
other events; and selling the “artists” by using their popularity as presenters of various products.
Songs can also be sold through mobile downloads. Buyers of the content in this part can be
divided into two subgroups: business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B). B2C
involves all the products described above excluding the selling of the artists‟ popularity. B2B is
the signing of sponsorship deals for the artists where artists will perform in a concert hosted by
the sponsor and not the competitor or advertise the products through commercial advertisement
in various media.
Type of IPR involved
Table 74 below exhibits the related intellectual property rights in the activities in the
music industry: Every activity in the music industry is protected by copyrights, which enable the
creators and distributors to benefit from their creations. The creator(s) of the content owns the
43
Physical products include box sets and any other merchandise related to the artists.
93 |
copyrights to the songs. The copyrights to a song cover three parts: the lyrics, the melody, and
the composition. The owner of the copyrights have the rights to copy, modify, broadcast, sell,
and give control over of the rights to a second party. It is often the case that record labels
purchase the total rights to the song, although, depending on the contracts, the composer may
have some ownership. The copyrights which are owned by the record labels are then managed by
the publishing company, which may or may not be a subsidiary of the record label, depending on
the size of the company. As of today, there are approximately 1 million songs in Thailand that
are protected by copyrights. Roughly 200,000 of these are Thai songs and the remainder is
international. They are managed by the 20 registered companies in Thailand‟s music publishing
business. 44 As in the movie industry, in addition to copyrights, the distribution channel of
physical materials such as CDs, VCDs and DVDs is also related to another intellectual property:
trademark. The trademark will help consumers to differentiate works of different producers or
distributors.
Table 74: Type of IPR involved in music industry
Copyrights
Patent
Product
design
patent
Invention
patent
Music Content Production
X
Show business
X
Distribution
X
Digital copies
X
Physical copies
X
Mobile applications
X
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
7.2
Trademark
Petty
patent
Trade
secret
Geographical
indications
X
Assessment of Impact from Piracy
7.2.1 Piracy analysis
Magnitude
The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) has estimated the 2008 music
piracy rate in Thailand to be 65 %, with an increasing trend from 2004 to 2008. Table 75 below
shows the piracy rate in the music industry and the revenue structure of the Thailand‟s biggest
music company, which is responsible for more than 60% of the music sales in the Thai market.
44
Figures from “Knowledge on copyrights, Legally Operating Business” published under the co-operation of
Thailand Copyrights Collection, Song Copyrights, and GMM Music Publishing International.
94 |
Table 75: Piracy rate and GMM Grammy Revenue structure
Units: in Million THB, if not otherwise specified
Year
Piracy rate
GMM Grammy Revenue from
Recordings
GMM Grammy Revenue from
E-Business
GMM Gram my Revenue from Show
Business
2004
45%
2005
45%
2006
50%
2007
50%
2008
65%
2484
2074
1965
1932
-
255
334.5
367.1
418.7
-
619.7
482.709
1305.8
1768
-
Source: IIPA and GMM Grammy 2008 Annual Report
Types of Infringement
Types of infringement include pirated CDs, illegal internet downloads, and file sharing
which violates the copyrights. Sometimes there is trademark infringement when the logos of
companies are used on the counterfeit products. The physical digital copies of albums are the
most negatively affected products by piracy in the music industry.
7.2.2 Effects of piracy on music industry
7.2.2.1 Effect on Investment and legitimate domestic market
The growth of piracy in the music industry has been very rapid in recent years, with the
growth in media channels and technology being one of the most influential factors. Along with
the trend in the global music industry, piracy affects directly both domestic and foreign
producers‟ income and income structure in Thailand. The percentage of revenue from physical
copies such as CD, VCD, and DVD has been decreasing. The response of the music labels to the
increasing piracy has been to focus on the products that are more difficult to pirate. In order to
clarify this point, the income structures of two of the Thai music industry‟s biggest producers,
GMM Grammy and RS Promotion (and the only two with information available in detail),
between 2006-2008 is shown and details are discussed below.
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Table 76: Income structure of two biggest music labels in Thailand
2006
Records, Rights, and Digital
Music Products
GMM
Show Business
Grammy
Media
Total Revenue
Records, Rights, and Digital
Music Products
RS
Show Business
Promotion
Media
Total Revenue
2007
2008
% of
Million
total
THB
revenue
% of
total
revenue
2,700.9
1,768
2,059.3
7286.2
37.1
24.3
28.3
100.0
2,732.4
2,129.7
2,373.4
7806.1
35.0
27.5
30.4
100.0
908.3
509.4
685.2
2,515.8
36.1
20.2
27.2
100.0
757.9
591.7
644.6
2,371.4
32.0
25.0
27.2
100.0
Million
THB
% of
total
revenue
Million
THB
2,701.9
1,305.8
1,750.7
6143.5
42.1
20.4
34.6
100.0
1,136.8
561.3
1,126.3
3,140.2
36.2
17.9
35.9
100.0
Source: GMM Grammy and RS Promotion‟s annual report. Not all components of revenue have been included.
From Table 76 above, it can be seen that the total revenue of GMM Grammy has been
increasing, while RS Promotion‟s revenue has been declining over the past two years. The share
of revenue from selling records, rights, and digital products in total revenue for both companies
has been decreasing, possibly due to the effect of piracy on sales. In its 2008 annual report,
GMM Grammy acknowledged that consumers have moved toward digital products. RS
Promotion also stated in its 2008 annual report that there has been a shift from physical product
sales to digital content with CD, VCD and DVD sales decreasing by 27.9% and digital business
income increasing by 42.9%. The revenue from show business of both firms grew at 20% and
16% from 2007 to 2008, while the revenue from media grew for GMM Grammy but declined for
RS Promotion
Piracy, more than likely, has played an enormous role in these changes in the structure of
the Thai music business. Improvement in technology and increases in media platforms have
driven a change in consumption behavior; there is an increasing number of ways for consumers
to be reached by the industry‟s products, both legally and illegally. The sales of records, rights,
and broadcast have gone down significantly in recent years as more and more consumers choose
to consume illegal products (IFPI‟s estimated spending to be just over 30 baht as shown
previously). The downtrend in sales of physical records means many retailers have closed down.
One example is the closing of CD Warehouse, one of the country‟s biggest retailers. Show
business, an area which has benefited from piracy as it increases public exposure of the artists,
and hence popularity, has been growing rapidly. Table 76 shows that, where the share of total
revenue from selling records, rights, and broadcast between 2003-2005 had been roughly 50% of
the total revenue, it declined to 35% in 2008. Meanwhile, the same share for show business,
which had been around 10% of total revenue, increased to 27.5% in 2008.
96 |
As can be seen from the bar chart in Figure 37 and Figure 38 below, although the GMM
Grammy‟s revenue is still growing (the 2003-2005 and 2006-2009 average revenue being 6,323
million baht and 7,168 million baht, respectively), the returns on investment of producing a
record (excluding other related revenue) have worsened as the sales of products have been
decreasing while the cost of production and selling have been increasing (from a 2003-2005
average of 3,557 million baht to an average of 3,954 million baht in 2006-2009).
Figure 37: GMM Grammy‟s revenue from 2003-2007
Source: GMM Grammy‟s annual reports.
97 |
Figure 38: GMM Grammy‟s average revenue between 2003-2005 and 2005-2007
Source: GMM Grammy‟s annual reports.
7.2.2.2 Effect on Artistic Creativity
Music downloading and other forms of piracy through the growing number of media
platforms have undeniably benefited the music industry in the sense that they have increased the
level of public exposure, hence increasing the total consumption of music. This is especially so
as regards those signed to smaller independent labels that do not have as much money as the
major labels, to pay for radio broadcast or advertisements. Their music videos are of lower
quality and are usually not shown on television. More public exposure increases the popularity of
the artists which can lead to more income through shows. As some of these artists do not earn
much income through the sale of albums in the first place, their income would not be affected
significantly.
In the long run however, piracy undermines the incentive to create and invest in new
music as the occupations of composer or creator of contents become less attractive, and the
producers of the contents earn less income while still having to bear the legitimate costs of
production. Piracy pays the person who makes pirated copies, not the creator of the content.
Piracy means the creators are not getting their fair share of the revenue from the sales of
recorded music. It is often the case that the owner of the copyrights and the songwriter get
relatively less pay for the songs being used in shows compared to the income from a good selling
album. An example of this would be a composer who nowadays needs to write as many as 10
successful songs to earn him the same amount of revenue he would have earned from writing just
three successful songs 10 years ago.
98 |
7.2.2.3 Effect on Social and Cultural Values
Like movies, the products of the music industry include Thai cultural content. In the same
manner as movies, we can learn the lifestyle of the north-eastern Thailand by listening to the
lyrics. Most of the time, consumers know, what country or what region of the country the music
belongs to. It is important to note that piracy means less income to the content creator who puts a
hint of the local culture into the final product. On the debatable side, however, as piracy
increases the total consumption for a song, legally or illegally, in the end more consumers end up
consuming the industry‟s products. In this sense, piracy has both positive and negative effects on
cultural values. When pirated Thai songs spread locally and internationally, it helps promote
Thai culture, but when international songs get spread within Thailand, Thai cultural values may
be diluted.
7.2.2.4 Effect on Public Safety
As discussed in Subsection 6.2.2.5, the optical disk piracy of both movie and music
products is related to organized crime.
8
Industry case 3: Information Technology (IT)
8.1
Industry Overview
Definition and Scope of Industry
Information technology (IT) is broadly defined as a technology for managing
information, which includes data storage, data processing, printing, report making and etc. IT
has become an integral part of a wide range of activities, from business to education, from
entertainment to research and development, and from banking to designing. In this study, we
will classify the Thai IT industry into three groups: hardware, software, and services.
45
According to the ICT market survey 2008 and outlook 2009 , Thailand‟s IT market
posted moderate growth of 5.1%. Expenditures in the hardware sector reached 135,588 million
baht and those in software industry were 62,937 million baht. The size of the services sector was
the smallest, with expenditures of 24,981 million baht. Looking at a profile of customers, we find
that household and small and home offices accounted for more than half of computer hardware
spending at 57.5%. By contrast, the enterprise and corporate sector had the lion‟s share in
computer software and computer services at 57.2% and 74.1% respectively.
45
This survey is conducted by NECTEC and SIPA through in-depth interview with key players in the industry.
99 |
Table 77: Market Values and Growth of ICT Industry (2006-2009)
Value (Million THB)
Computer
Hardware
Computer
Software
Computer
Services
Total
Share(%)
Growth (%)
2006
2007
2008
2009(e)
2006
2007
2008
2009
(e)
124,712
121,728
135,588
141,966
64.8
60.9
60.7
60.0
-2.39
11.39
4.70
50,064
56,616
62,937
66,117
26.
%
28.3
28.2
27.9
13.09
11.16
5.05
17,689
21,425
24,981
28,521
9.2
10.7
11.2
12.1
21.12
16.60
14.17
192,465
199,769
223,506
236,604
100.
0
100.0
100.0
%
100.0
3.79
11.88
5.86
06/07
07/08
08/09
Source: NECTEC (2009)
Market Structure and Industry Value Chain
Compared to other creative industries, the IT industry is rather complex and
heterogeneous. We therefore separate our value analysis into two parts: hardware and software
and services. The value chain of the hardware sector will be similar to that of most standard
manufactured goods. On the other hand, software and services share many common
characteristics. In many cases, services are viewed as an extension of software production or
additional value creation for the software industry.
Hardware Value Chain
Figure 39: Computer hardware value chain
IPR
Product Design Patent
Invention
Trademark
Patent
R&D
Main players
IT companies,
Education
Institutes,
Government
agencies
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
100 |
Component
Production
IT
IT
IT
company,
companies
companies
Design
Institute
Marketing, distribution
and after-sale
services
IT companies
Representatives
Figure 39 shows that the hardware sector consists of seven activities. Starting with
research development (R&D), firms strive to discover new knowledge for better products and
services. This process also covers market research, where firms can learn market conditions and
the needs of their customers. Then they can design products accordingly. Next, components are
manufactured and fabricated into products. To introduce these products to the market, marketing
scheme and distribution is needed. Finally, after-sales services are necessary to retain customers
for the future orders. Out of the seven activities, R&D, design, and marketing entail high value
added and are usually perceived as strategic activities for firms.
IT companies that originated in developed countries, usually take control over the value
chain, especially for high-value added positions, and orchestrate all activities as seamlessly as
possible. Research institutes, academia, and government all take part in R&D initiatives. Thanks
to advancement in IT, component production and assembly process can be transferred to thirdparty suppliers in low-cost locations.
In this study, we combine software and services into the same framework. We are interested in
(1) software developers (e.g., Microsoft and Apple) (2) IT solution firms (e.g., Accenture, IBM,
and Booz Allen and Hamilton) and (3) software developers with IT solutions (e.g. Oracle and
SAP).
Figure 40: Software and service sector value chain
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
101 |
Similar to hardware, the value chain of software firms begin with R&D and the design of
new software. Production of software involves coding and then integrates all components.
Marketing, distribution, and after-sales services are significant elements of the value chain. Note
that consumers can be divided into end-users and IT service providers. For the pure IT solution
firms, R&D appears to be irrelevant. These firms must be able to offer customized solutions for
individual clients through customer requirements during design process. For, the software firms
with IT solutions services, they just take another step forward to provide services for their own
applications.
Unlike hardware sector, software companies need less physical capital to start up, but
they rely heavily on human capital. As a result, Thai software companies have the potential to
grow quickly and take control of the entire value chain. This is also true for IT solution
companies. However, foreign companies still dominate the global landscape. The increasing
pressure of competition and rapid advances in IT give rise to new IT service industries in cheap,
high-skilled and English speaking countries like India. Thai IT services firm still purchase
popular applications and capture their share of the rest of value chain.
Figure 41: Classification of IT industry
IT Industry
Hardware
 Desktop and Laptop
 Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA)
 Server and
Workstation
 Monitor
 Printer
 Data Storage (Flash
and Hard disk)
 Others
Software






Operating System
Programming Tools
Utilities
Applications
Computer Programming
World Wide Web Page
Design Program
 Others
IT Services
 Hardware and
System Consultancy
 Training and
Education Service
 Data Processing
 Database Activities
 Supporting Services
 Renting of
Computers
 Software Design and
Development
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
The hardware sector is mainly comprised of computers and their peripherals. As the line
between telecommunication equipment, small computers and other digital devices become
thinner and thinner, multi-function devices such as smart phones and all-in-one office equipment
can be treated as IT hardware. Products of the software sector range from operation systems to
102 |
applications and from programming tools to web-page design software. Lastly, IT services
include consultancy, training service, data processing and database service.
Supply Side
The majority of IT firms in Thailand are Thai firms (See Table 78). Most of the hardware
and software firms in Thailand are trading firms. For the most part foreign IT firms have not
relocated their production facilities to Thailand, except for the hard disk drive cluster. Although
Thai IT services firms are large in number, they are usually small in size and not qualified for
large-scale projects.
Table 78: Ownership structure of IT companies in Thailand
Joint Venture (%)
4.96
14.64
3.65
Hardware
Software
IT Services
No Joint Venture (%)
95.04
85.36
96.35
Source: NSO (2008)
Table 79: Access to investment promotion of IT firms in Thailand
Hardware
Software
IT Services
Investment Promotion (%)
3.12
10.12 %
1.53 %
No Investment Promotion (%)
96.88
89.88 %
98.47 %
Source: NSO (2008)
Table 79 indicates that most Thai IT hardware firms do not meet the requirements for
investment promotion since they are not producers for export. While software and IT service
firms have lesser requirements for investment promotion, many firms opt not to apply for
investment incentives. According to our interviews, inadequate accounting practices and tax
evasion are cited as main reasons not to seek investment promotion. Experts estimate that
Microsoft and Oracle combine for 14.8 billion baht a year in licensing revenues, while Thai
firms can generate only 2 billion baht a year in such revenues.
103 |
Figure 42: Number and shared of labor IT industry
8,045 , 2% 21,670 , 5%
Hardw are
Softw are
IT Services
415,869 , 93%
Source: NSO (2008)
While most Thai hardware firms are traders, hardware firms that have relocated their
production facilities to Thailand have created significant employment opportunities for skilled
labor, but relatively few opportunities for high-end professionals, such as engineers and chip
designers. By contrast, software and service firms are hiring high-end professionals (See Figure
42).
Table 80: Number of Hardware patent registered in Thailand by Country of Origin
Total Hardware Patent
1996
12
1997
11
1998
11
Thai Hardware Patent
0
1
0
Source: Department of Intellectual Property
104 |
1999
4
2000
4
2001
5
2002
14
2003
15
2004
10
2005
9
2006
22
2007
26
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Table 81: Number of Software copyright registered in Thailand
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
3
4
Source: Department of Intellectual Property
Using the number of patents as a proxy for technological and R&D capability, it appears
that overall R&D activities in Thailand are low in both hardware and software (See Table 80 and
Table 81). Looking closer, Thai firms registered very few patents from 1996 to 2007. This
reinforces the notion that foreign firm take control of research and design, while Thai firms
contribute more in production and distribution in the value chain.
In addition, most local producers buy imported IT goods and services via foreign sales
representatives. Table 82 shows the value of IT goods and services imports via foreign
representatives and local representatives in 2007.
Table 82: Channels of IT goods and services imports in 2007
Unit: Million THB
Local representative
Foreign sale representative
Hardware
27402
140891.18
Software
83.75
947.72
IT Services
4726
7017.02
Source: NSO (2008)
In sum, Thailand does show some potential in software and service, where it can create
new products itself. Unfortunately, the number of such firms remains small. Thai firms are not
able to produce their own IP and hence they typically do not push for improved IP protection.
Types of IP involved
Table 83 describes the types of IPRs involved in the IT industry. To begin with the
hardware sector, the development of new hardware as a result of R & D will be protected by
invention patents and design patents. The production and marketing of hardware are involved
with trademark protection. Software is protected by copyright, while production and marketing
are depend on trademark protection and trade secret protection. Finally, the services sector
depends on both copyright and trademark protection.
105 |
Table 83: Type of IPR involved in IT industry
Copyrights
Patent
Product
design
patent
R &D
Content Creation
X
Design
X
Production
Marketing
Services
X
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
8.2
Invention
patent
Trademark
Petty
patent
Trade
secret
Geographical
indications
X
X
X
X
X
Assessment of Impact from Piracy
Both the hardware industry and the IT services industry suffer very little piracy. In the
hardware industry, some firms are hardware vendors and their products will be of foreign brands.
Piracy of such products would require sophisticated understanding of re-engineering and large
investment, therefore the production of pirated hardware is rare.
IT services can be classified in to two groups. The first group is IT services, beginning
with designing and maintenance of systems that adapt software from major software companies
such as Microsoft, SAP etc. Piracy in this case occurs when the IT services firm uses illegal
software in the development of an IT system. However, most large firms using IT services have
selected software that is legal and would not permit a services firm to use illegal software. The
second group operates in the same manner but with its own software which has been customized
to the customer‟s needs and hence there is little piracy in this sector.
For the reasons above, this report focuses mainly on the IPR infringement in the software
industry.
8.2.1 Piracy analysis
Magnitude
Table 84 shows IIPA‟s estimates of the piracy rate and the losses from pirated
entertainment and business software in Thailand. The rate of piracy of both kinds of software has
been rather stable in the past few years but the estimated losses have been growing rapidly
because of the rapid growth of the software market. From interviews with producers in the
industry, it appears that the majority of piracy on both business and entertainment software
comes from SMEs and individual households as most large-scale businesses or enterprises in
Thailand are not willing to take the risk of losing reputation and suffering the possible legal costs
of being caught for using pirated software.
106 |
Table 84: Piracy rate in Thailand‟s software industry
Year
Piracty rate of business software
(%)
Piracty rate of entertainment
software (%)
Loss of business software (Mil.
USD)
Loss of entertainment software
(Mil. USD)
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
77.0
80.0
78.0
80.0
80.0
78.0
76.0
86.0
82.0
76.0
75.0
82.0
77.0
NA
57.3
84.0
100.0
155.0
253.0
257.0
295.0
47.3
NA
NA
NA
NA
91.4
NA
Source: IIPA (2009)
Types of Infringement
Piracy of software is a violation of the copyrights of the content creator. The types of
infringement include pirated copies of the software and illegal software downloads online.
Illegal software CD production is defined as the process of copying and selling the
software without permission from the copyright owner. The production of illegal hard copies can
be classified into small scale and large scale production. Small scale production is done on
personal computers and sold through small shops or on websites. Large scale production is done
at a large CD plant (which sometimes produces legal CDs as well) and the products are
distributed through small shops and vendors.
Illegal software is also distributed through the Internet to the end users via online
channels such as websites, P2P sharing programs, etc.
8.2.2 Effects of Piracy
8.2.2.1 Effect on Investment
One would expect that software piracy would deter investment in software firms and
foreign direct investment because the firms would not be able to fully reap benefits from their
investment. Surprisingly, we found that piracy is not a key factor in IT investment decisions. In
this study, we investigated two groups of firms: foreign and Thai local firms.
Foreign firms such as Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP dominate the global software market,
including the market in Thailand. Referring to Table 85, these software companies have
continued to pour billions of dollars into R&D to gain an edge over their rivals. On average,
these companies have spent more than 10% of their sales on R&D, compared to less than 1% for
the typical Thai firm. Clearly, they perceive that R&D is essential to their business and piracy is
not utmost sufficiently important issue to discourage their investment. Piracy may reduce the size
of profits, but cannot stop innovative and successful software products from being highly
profitable.
107 |
Table 85: R&D expenditure of Top Software Firms and Its share to Total Sales
Year
Company
Name
Information
R&D
expenditures
Microsoft
Total sales
Share of R&D
expenditures to
total Sales
R&D
expenditures
Oracle
Total sales
Share of R&D
expenditures to
total Sales
R&D
expenditures
SAP AMG
Total sales
Share of R&D
expenditures to
total Sales
UNIT
millions of
USD
millions of
USD
millions of
USD
millions of
USD
millions of
EUR
millions of
EUR
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
4,379
4,307
6,595
7,779
6,097
6,584
7,121
8,164
9,010
25,296
28,365
32,187
36,835
39,788
44,282
51,122
60,420
58,437
17%
15%
20%
21%
15%
15%
14%
14%
15%
1,139
1,076
1,180
1,278
1,491
1,872
2,195
2,741
2,767
10,961
9,672
9,475
10,156
11,799
14,380
17,996
22,430
23,252
10%
11%
12%
13%
13%
13%
12%
12%
12%
872
908
1,089
1,335
1,458
1,627
7,025
7,514
8,509
9,393
10,242
11,575
12%
12%
13%
14%
14%
14%
Source: Firm annual reports
As for foreign direct investment to Thailand from large software companies, it is not
likely to change much in the near future. Foreign firms view Thailand mainly as a market for
their products and thus they are looking for marketing and distribution channels. This does not
require a lot of capital. However, it is less likely that Thailand would be a research center for
software development or an IT service hub soon due to the shortage of local IT talent and the
language barrier.
Local Thai firms do show some concern over piracy, but access to cheap capital, training,
IT infrastructure, tax incentives, and government-led market promotion tend to top of their list of
desired government support in preference to action against piracy. According to a survey
conducted by the National Statistic Office (NSO), only 16% of software firms have sought help
on piracy. However, Thai software developers tend to be the most worried about the piracy issue,
but even they want to overcome the problems of capital, training, and IT infrastructure first. As a
result, it seems clear that piracy alone does not greatly impact the investment decisions of
existing Thai software firms. The importance of IPR protection for new firms, especially those
bringing innovations to the market, is likely to be much greater.
108 |
Table 86: Need for Government Supports of Thai firms in IT Industry
Hardware
Need for Government
Supports
Total
Do not need
Do need
Access to low-cost capital
Free training on ICT
IT instrastructure
Tax reduction on import
and exports for ICT
products
Total
IT
Hardware
Telecom
Hardware
100.00
47.05
52.95
34.22
25.89
19.34
100.00
38.75
61.25
41.46
33.71
22.9
100.00
59.69
40.31
27.86
14.27
8.57
15.96
19.19
14.3
Software
IT
Services
Package
Software
Outsourcing/
Software
Development
100.00
48.86
51.14
34.9
24.32
15.98
100.00
58.93
41.07
14.01
24.18
14.69
100.00
34.8
65.2
36.3
38.17
34.13
100.00
46.96
53.04
25.07
31.12
24.33
100.00
41.35
58.65
38.02
30.68
27.17
16.83
6.51
21.38
13.89
15.79
Total
Total
Source: NSO ICT survey 2008
8.2.2.2 Effect on Legitimate Domestic Market
The impact of piracy on the legitimate domestic market is different for foreign
and domestic software firms. Foreign firms appear to handle piracy better than local Thai firms
do. Due to their larger market size, foreign firms have more resources to resolve piracy
problems. They work with organizations such as the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the
Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) to reinforce intellectual property
protection.
Furthermore, foreign firms have introduced innovative business models to negate piracy
as follows:



Shifting away from licensing revenue: Software firms can offer free product and
then charge customers for customizing services. Instead of paying for licensing
fees, consumers now must rely on IT services to use the software more effectively.
Software-on-demand: This scheme will reduce costs of purchasing new software
package and make it more affordable.
Provide free copy with limited features: Software firms can provide free uses of
software on their websites or give away their software with limited features. This
will help to prevent piracy, but it does not necessarily increase their sales.
Leading software firms raise awareness of adverse effects of piracy through many
channels. Their arguments are based on financial loss, distraction for new product development,
and hidden threats from downloading free software. Finally, these firms invest in piracyprotection technology and work with local government to crack down on piracy.
109 |
As for Thai software firms, they are still operating in the old paradigm – depending on licensing
fees. They continue to suffer revenue loss from piracy.
8.2.2.3 Effect on Innovation and Artistic Creativity
Research and Development (R&D) typically plays an important role in the IT business.
Table 877 shows each type of R&D, namely technology improvement, products improvement,
new products development and demand for aid in R&D in Thailand. It is clear from this chart
that R&D activities in the Thai IT industry, however, are noticeably insignificant where a
percentage of yes-answer for all questions is less than 50%.
Table 87: Number of Enterprises categorized by R&D (Technology Improvement, Products
Improvement, New Products Development and Demand for Aid in R&D) (percentage)
Hardware
Type of R&D
Technology
Improvement
Products
Improvement
New Products
Development
Total
Software
IT
Commun
ication
Total
100
100
100
100
No
Yes
90.85
9.15
88.4
11.6
95.46
4.54
No
Yes
91.51
8.49
88.31
11.69
96.07
3.93
No
Yes
93.24
6.76
91.33
8.67
96.65
3.35
No
87.90
83.49
93.81
Yes
12.10
16.51
6.19
Total
Demand for
Aid in R&D
91.1
8
8.2
92.0
6
7.94
93.9
0
6.10
88.4
7
11.5
3
Package
Developed
by
Outsource
Total
IT
services
100
100
100
100
71.6
28.4
52.03
47.97
61.89
38.11
92.61
7.39
51.00
49.00
60.72
39.28
55.82
44.18
95.47
4.53
51.19
48.81
57.21
42.79
54.18
45.82
96.79
3.21
75.56
77.36
76.45
88.06
24.44
22.64
23.55
11.94
Source: NSO (2008)
However, software development by outsourcing is ranked first for technology
improvement or 47.97% while the development of software packages the leading type of product
improvement. Software piracy in Thailand affects both foreign and international producers‟
creativity and innovation. Although the market size in Thailand is comparatively small, software
piracy may affect the incentive of foreign producers to innovate new software that is more
beneficial. Instead, piracy problem increases the incentive of foreign producers to innovate
technology to protect against piracy rather than providing better performance for users. This
protracts the pace of innovation in software development. Thai software producers are also
affected by the software piracy if their products are included in pirated program CDs..
110 |
8.2.2.4 Effect on Social and cultural values
Software piracy does not directly affect social and cultural values. Software is developed
for the universal uses. However, some software, such as games, also has social and cultural
information in it. Nevertheless, there are only few game developers in Thailand.
8.2.2.5 Effect on Public safety
Computer Crime
Other than being one of the funding sources for organized crime and damaging the
creative industry, software piracy is also connected to computer crime. Computer crime issues
have become immense in the past few years. Key issues include hacking, copyright infringement,
child pornography, and information theft. Problems of privacy may arise when confidential
information is lost or intercepted illegally.
Downloading illegal, pirated software from the Internet may allow user‟s private details
to be hacked. Hackers may use techniques such as including or installing malware (or malicious
software) such as Trojan horses along with the pirated products. Malware is software that has
been designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent.
The types of computer crime and operations that can be performed may include data theft,
installation of other software (possibly another malware), modification and deletion of files, key
stroke logging and viewing of the user‟s screen.
9
Industry case 4: Pharmaceuticals
The pharmaceutical industry is distinct from other industries because it is highly
regulated, requires expensive upfront investment in research, and depends on constant product
innovation and excellence in sales and marketing. Thailand is dependent on imported
pharmaceuticals and raw materials in order for locally manufactured pharmaceuticals to meet the
domestic demand. The Thai government is aware of the country‟s dependency and is hoping that
promotion privileges through the Board of Investment in Thailand (BOI) will develop the
pharmaceutical industry. It is hoped that Thailand will modernize and effectively enforce its
legislation facilitating the development of the pharmaceutical industry, by, among other
measures, reinforcing protection of intellectual property rights. Thailand has experienced
increasing demand for pharmaceuticals, caused by an increasing number of foreign “health
tourists” visiting Thailand and changed lifestyles among the Thai population. The Thai
population is ageing and the number of persons above 60 years will increase during the next few
years. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures Association (PReMA), it is
estimated that 11.7% of the population is currently above 60 years and by 2015 the percentage
will increase to 13.8% and 16.8% by 2020.
111 |
This increased life expectancy means that the population is beginning to encounter more
and different kinds of diseases than previous generations, further fueling demand for modern
medicines. While these facts alone suggest that Thailand is a regional player in terms of
consumption, the role of Thailand in the development and production of pharmaceuticals could
also be promising. Thus, favorable government policies implemented consistently will enable
Thailand‟s pharmaceutical industry to mature over the coming years.
9.1
Industry Overview
Definition and scope of the industry
According to the current Drug Act of B.E. 2530 (1987), medicines are classified into two
major groups: modern and traditional drugs.
Modern Drugs are further divided into four categories, namely 1) household remedies
whose sales require no license; 2) ready-packed drugs that can be sold in drugstores by nurses or
other medical professionals; 3) dangerous drugs; and 4) specially controlled drugs. Dangerous
drugs can be bought without a prescription, but must be dispensed by pharmacists. Drugs which
may possess a potentially harmful effect on health, if misused, will be listed in the last category
whose sales require a prescription.
Traditional drugs are those intended to be used in indigenous or traditional medical care
as monographed in the official pharmacopoeia of traditional medicines or those declared by the
Minister of Public Health as traditional medicines or those permitted to be registered as
traditional medicines. The control and registration of drugs in this group are less stringent than
those for modern drugs.
General medicines can be further defined as:

Generics, whose registrations require only dossiers on product manufacturing and quality
control along with product information;
 New medicines, whose registrations require a complete set of product dossiers;
 New generics, whose registrations require dossiers of bioequivalence studies in addition
to the required dossiers for generics submission.
Generics refer to pharmaceutical products with the same active ingredients and the same
dosage forms as those of the original products, but legally manufactured by different firms. New
medicines include products of new chemicals, new indications, new combinations or new
delivery systems and new dosage forms. New generics are medicines with the same active
ingredients, doses and dosage forms as those of the new compounds registered after 1992.
The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) has estimated that the value of the
pharmaceutical industry in 2008 was approximately THB 90,000 million. This includes locally
produced domestic drugs (generic products, which account for 46% of the drugs on the market),
locally produced international brands (about 32% of the market), and imports (22% of the
112 |
market). The domestic pharmaceutical industry is primarily a formulating industry and does not
undertake much R&D. Some 95% of the ingredients used in the locally manufacturing are
imported from low cost countries such as India and China, where the copying of key substances
is not yet regulated.
Furthermore, The GPO also estimates that the current and predicted growth rate of the
industry is 16% and the pharmaceutical market in Thailand is expected to display the same
upward trends as neighboring countries in the region.
As shown in Table 88, government and private hospitals and pharmacies are the largest
distribution channels accounting for 43% and 40% of total sales respectively.
Table 88: Total sales of pharmaceutical products by segment
Market segment
Government + Private hospitals
Private Clinics
Pharmacies/drugstores
GPO
Other
Market share (%)
43.0
10.0
40.0
2.0
4.0
Source: Thai food and drug administration 2007
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH)
is in charge of drug approval and registration. According to the FDA, the largest imported
product group is “Medicaments consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therapeutic or
prophylactic uses … for retail sale”. A comparison of domestic production and import value in
Figure 43 suggests that Thailand has experienced increases in the value of both domestic
production and import of generic drugs. The export value of pharmaceutical products in 2008
was approximately THB 4,156.2 million which accounts for only 0.05% of world‟s export of
pharmaceutical products. Thailand‟s exports of pharmaceutical products are roughly 74% within
the ASEAN region ((Vietnam (21%) Cambodia (15%) Myanmar (15%) Malaysia (9%) and the
Philippines (5%)) and to emerging markets such as Russia and Africa.
However, Thailand‟s market share in the ASEAN region is decreasing because of fierce
competition from other ASEAN countries, namely Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia and due to
the impact of non-tariff barriers (NTB), standard requirements, and registration requirements
from the importing countries.
113 |
Figure 43: Thailand‟s domestic production and import value of generic drug
80,000.0
70,000.0
60,000.0
50,000.0
40,000.0
30,000.0
20,000.0
10,000.0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Domestic production
2005
Import
2006
2007
2008
Source Thai Drug Control Division
Note: 2008 data are estimated
Figure 44: Thailand‟s exports value of generic drug
4,156.2
4,500.0
3,830.8
4,000.0
3,500.0
3,412.5
2005
2006
2,967.3
3,000.0
2,220.9 2,505.5
2,500.0
2,000.0
3,436.4
2,068.8
2,065.5
1,500.0
1,000.0
500.0
0.0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2007
2008
Source Thai Drug Control Division
Note: 2008 data are estimated
Market Structure and Industry Value Chain
Similar to other countries in Asia, the pharmaceutical industry in Thailand is mostly
formulating active ingredients and manufacturing generic products. In 2009, 714 pharmaceutical
114 |
manufacturers were registered with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association
(PReMA).
Figure 45: World‟s Global Value Chain (GVC) of Pharmaceutical Industry
Leader: Germany Belgium
France US UK Ireland and Italy
Cultivation process
Switzerland
Research and
Development
Clinical Study
Commercialized
Collect and preserve
raw material
Product Formulation
Leader: GlaxoSmithKline(UK) Pfizer(US) Sanofi-Aventis(France) Johnson & Johnson (US)
AstraZeneca (UK) Novartis AG(Switzerland) Merck & Co. (US) Roche Holding
(Switzerland) Abbott Laboratories (US) Bayer Schering Pharma AG (Germany) Astellas
Pharma (Japan) และ UCB SA (Belgium)
Raw Materials
Production/Factory
Domestic Pharmaceutical Industry
Leader: US Belgium Germany UK France
(Import active ingredient)
Leader: China India Korea
Switzerland Italy Spain and Canada
Marketing and transportation
Consumer
Quality assurance/Quality control
Hospital/Drug store
Custom/Trade Agreement
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute (2009)
Figure 45 illustrates the global value chain of the pharmaceutical industry, which mainly
driven by leading companies in developed countries. Along the value chain, R&D, product
46
formulation and clinical study alone create 40-50% of total value.
While Figure 46 describes Thailand‟s Value Chain in the Pharmaceutical Industry, it
shows that Thailand imports active ingredients from leading drug companies from the US,
Germany and Switzerland and does not undertake much R&D. Table 89 illustrates that Thai
companies spend less than 1% of total costs on R&D. This is not surprising, since the profit
margin of this industry is approximately at 4-5%. Yet there are 25 ingredients that Thailand can
produce, such as menthol, camphor and Sodium Chloride.
46
Fiscal Policy Research Institute (2008), Measures to support most effected industry under FTAs
115 |
Figure 46: Thailand‟s Value Chain of Pharmaceutical Industry
Cultivation process
R&D
Collect and preserve
raw materials
Finding raw materials
Thailand imports active ingredient
from leading drug company from US,
Germany and Switzerland etc.
Product formulation
/development
At the upstream value chain, Thailand
can commercially develop ingredient.
Clinical trial (Bio-equivalent)
Product registered
Leader: GPO, Bertram (1982), Pure
Chem,
Siam
Pharmaceutical,
Siampharmacy,
GreaterPharma,
Millimed, Biopham, Zuellig Pharma
and Biolap etc
Quality control and
production
Domestic sale and export to ASEAN
countries
Marketing
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute (2009)
Table 89:Thailand - Generic drug‟s cost composition
Production cost
Management cost
Approx. 75-88%
Approx. 5%
Advertisement and
promotion cost
Approx. 7.5%
Research and
development cost
Less than 1%
Source: The Office of Industrial Economics, Ministry of Industry
In Thailand, drug manufacturers can be separated into three groups:
1. Multinational corporations, which manufacture active ingredients and pharmaceutical
formulation
2. Thai-owned companies, which primarily focus on producing pharmaceutical
formulation and, to a smaller extend manufacturing active ingredients and
3. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), which primarily prepares
pharmaceutical formulations for public medical establishments
116 |
Figure 47: pharmaceutical industry‟s structure
Thai pharmaceutical industry
Government enterprises
Private enterprises
Local companies
(167 firms)
Multinational enterprises
(38 firms)
Distributors
(Diethelm, Zuellig Pharma, OLIC,
US Summit, Pacific Healthcare,
International-Pharmaceutical)
Marketing and sales
(34 firms)
Third party manufacturers
(OLIC, Interthai)
Contract marketing services
(Diethelm, Pharmalink, OLIC,
Innovex/Quintiles)
Manufacturers
(Boots, Takeda, Otsuka, Unilab)
Source: The Government Pharmaceutical Organization and Office of Industrial Economic (2009)
The GPO enjoys “preferential provider” status at public hospitals because of Thai
regulations that require public hospitals to use GPO medicines. Hence, the GPO holds a near
monopoly over the supply of drugs to the public sector. Public hospitals are obliged, by
regulation, to use at least 60% of their budget to purchase medicines within the national list of
essential medicines, many of which are produced by the GPO. In the case of hospitals attached
to the Ministry of Public Health, that requirement increases to 80% of their budget. Moreover,
hospitals are also compelled to purchase medicines produced by GPO even when the price of a
medicine may be slightly higher than those of equivalent medicines produced by other drug
companies47.
47
See Clause 60 and Clause 61 of the Regulations of the Office of the Prime Minister on Procurement B.E. 2535.
117 |
Figure 48: Ownership of Pharmaceutical corporations in Thailand (2009)
Switzerland
7 .3 %
Japan
3 .5 %
France
Thai
3 .0 %
Netherlands
79 . 4 %
2 .2 %
Denmark
Others
1 .0 %
3 .6 %
Source: Department of business development, Ministry of Commerce (as of 24 June 2009)
In 2009, there were 714 pharmaceutical corporations in Thailand which are Thai (79.4%),
Switzerland (7.3%), Japanese (3.5%), France (3.5%), Netherland (2.2%), Denmark (1.0%) and
others such as UK and US (3.6%). Among foreign firms, Switzerland companies have the
highest investment value in the industry (7.3%) followed by Japan (3.5%) and France (3.0%).
Furthermore, information about the larger players within the pharmaceutical industry and
concentration of consumer (represented by average household expenditure on medical and health
care by region) is displayed in Table 90 and Table 90 respectively.
Table 90: Top 10 Pharmaceutical Corporations
Ranking 2007,
1. Pfizer Int'l. Corp.
2. Sanofi-Aventis
3. GlaxoSmithKline
4. AstraZeneca
5. Novartis Corp.
6. Siam Pharm.
7. Roche Corp.
8. Merck & Co.
9. GPO
10. Berlin Pharm. Ind.
Source: IMS Health Quarterly Market Brief 2007
118 |
Table 91: Average household monthly expenditures: by region, 2006
Unit: THB/Month
Greater
NorthWhole
Type of expenditures
Bangkok1/
Central eastern Northern Southern kingdom
Food and beverage
6,333
4,567
3,386
3,253
4,650
4,221
Alcoholic beverage
356
321
179
204
269
251
Tobacco products
191
151
90
79
192
129
Apparel and footwear
601
424
285
345
542
408
Household operation
5,835
3,297
2,127
2,293
3,140
3,106
Medical and healthcare
550
300
193
282
329
305
Personal care
789
438
280
288
371
405
Transportation/communication
5,366
3,282
2,096
2,464
3,381
3,084
Recreation and reading
593
399
173
279
307
322
Education
733
246
137
220
245
283
Special ceremonial expenses
63
212
238
204
157
188
Other expediture
2,783
1,736
1,131
1,274
1,678
1,610
Total
24,194 15,373 10,316
11,185
15,260
14,311
Source: Thailand‟s pharmaceutical key data 2008
Note: 1/Including Bangkok Metropolis, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan
Types of IPR involved
The pharmaceutical industry in Thailand is regulated and companies are subject to a
variety of laws regarding innovation patenting, the convention bio-diversity (CBD), the testing
and marketing of drugs (trademarks and trade secrets), particularly for prescription drugs (see
also Table 92). Currently, the Thai pharmaceutical regulatory system is based on the Drug Act
B.E. 2530 (1987) together with ministerial regulations and ministerial notifications. The
fundamental basis of Thai drug regulation is that all activities in relation to the trading of
pharmaceutical products must be licensed and approved by the competent authorities. The Thai
FDA is the main agency in charge of drug approval and regulation.
Table 92: Type of IPR involved in the pharmaceutical industry
Copyrights
Patent
Product
design
patent
R&D
Finding raw materials
Product
formulation/development
Clinical trials
Product registered
Quality controls and
production
Marketing and
distributions
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
119 |
Invention
patent
Trademark
Petty
patent
Trade
secret
X
X
X
Geographical
indications
Others
CBD
CL
FDA
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Patents for medicinal products last nominally for 20 years from the time of grant by
national patent offices in all WTO members which have implemented the WTO‟s Agreement on
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Nevertheless, Thailand has
quickly become the country to watch in the pharmaceutical field since the Thai Ministry of
Public Health (MOPH) issued compulsory licenses on various key patented drugs. The MOPH‟s
attempts to intervene in the pharmaceutical market have attracted considerable attention from
governments, pharmaceutical companies, stakeholders, and various interest groups around the
world. Some groups have praised the initiative because it could lower the cost of key medicines
while others have raised concerns about the impact on the ability of pharmaceutical companies to
fund development of new drugs. Critics also say that the move has an adverse impact on the
Thailand‟s reputation for protecting intellectual property While the pharmaceutical regulatory
system in Thailand operates independently of the intellectual property protection system,
interactions between the two systems are crucial to the existence of the pharmaceutical industry.
In its White Paper, the MOPH justifies that use of compulsory licensing by saying that it
is responsible for ensuring that all Thais have the right to essential medicines and, given its
budgetary constraints, it cannot fulfill this responsibility without compulsory licenses. The first
three drugs subjected to compulsory licenses were 1) Merck‟s antiretroviral efavirenz (Stocrin),
2) Abbott Laboratories‟ antiretroviral lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) and 3) sanofi-aventis‟ heart
disease drug clopidogrel (Plavix). In early 2008, further compulsory licenses were issued for
cancer drugs including 1) the breast cancer drug letrozole produced by Novartis, 2) the breast
and lung cancer drug docetaxel made by sanofi-aventis, and 3) the lung cancer drug erlotinib
produced by Roche.
9.2
Assessment of Impact from Piracy
9.2.1 Piracy analysis
Magnitude and type of infringement
Counterfeit medicines are part of the broader phenomenon of substandard
pharmaceuticals. According to the WHO definition, a counterfeit medicine is “a medicine,
which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to identity and/or source.
Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products and counterfeit products may
include products with the correct ingredients or with the wrong ingredients, without active
ingredients, with insufficient active ingredients or with fake packaging”. Use of counterfeit
medicines can result in treatment failure or even death and they have been shown to be
increasingly introduced into the global supply chain, which threatens patient safety, ethical
pharmaceutical sales, and undermines the integrity of the distribution channels. When counterfeit
medicines contain insufficient active ingredients they can contribute to the evolution of drugresistant microbes. Counterfeit anti-malarial drugs, for example, have accelerated the emergence
of drug-resistant malaria in the Thai-Cambodia border area. Such drug resistant strains are a
global threat, especially when, as for malaria, there are a limited number of effective drugs
available.
120 |
In developed countries the most regularly counterfeited medicines are new, expensive
lifestyle medicines, such as hormones, steroids and antihistamines. Whereas, the most
counterfeited medicines in developing countries are essential drugs those used to treat lifethreatening conditions such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The counterfeiting of
medicines has been a problem for at least two decades in many countries around the world. As
international markets expand and globalize, the problem has extended to all countries and
regions; even though it remains more prevalent in developing countries.
In addition, the increase in the commercial use of the internet has also contributed to a
growth of the problem as many counterfeit medicines are sold illegally on unauthorized web
sites. The WHO recently reported that medicines purchased over the internet from illegal sites
have been found to be counterfeit in over 50% of cases.
Figure 49: Thailand‟s
Source: Thai Drug Control Division (2008)
121 |
Definition of counterfeit medical products
As shown in Error! Reference source not found., counterfeit medicines are on the rise
in most countries but are particularly widespread and dangerous in developing regions.
According to the IMPACT (International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce by
WHO), it is estimated that counterfeit drugs account for around 1-10% of sales in developed
countries and more than 10% in developing countries. However, in parts of Africa, Asia and
Latin America, more that 30% of the medicines on sale are counterfeit, while in some former
Soviet republics, counterfeits make up more than 20% of the market. These figures place the
annual earnings from the sales of counterfeit medicines at over USD 32 billion globally.
However, there is huge variation between geographic regions in terms of incidence. Variation
can also be significant within countries: for example, between urban and rural areas, and between
cities. In this light, forming an accurate picture of the extent of counterfeit medicines is difficult
and counterfeiting is generally greatest in those regions where regulatory and enforcement
systems are weakest.
This includes Thailand and its neighbors. Data collected in 2004 showed that fake or
poor-quality medicines are widely available. For example, up to 44% of samples of artesunate,
an anti-malarial drug, contained no active ingredient. In 2008, this figure dropped below 20%.
According to the website www.casestudiesforglobalhealth.org, INTERPOL seized more
than $6.65 million worth of counterfeit medicines in the Mekong River region in 2008. The
seized medications were for treatment of malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other common
infections in Southeast Asia in 2008. In an investigation called “Operation Storm”, authorities
carried out almost 200 raids across Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam. Police seized more than 16 million pills. In a related operation the Chinese government
arrested a number of fake medicine manufacturers and seized approximately $2.7 million worth
of anti-malarial products. These efforts have disrupted the fake medicine trade in the region, but,
as in earlier efforts, the impact will only be temporary unless enforcement efforts continue.
Figure 50: Pharmaceutical sales and the counterfeit (CFT) problem by regions
CFT ≈ 1030%
Asia, Africa, Latin America,
Australia , 17.8%
North America, 40.3%
Japan, 9.9%
Europe, 32.0%
CFT ≈ 1-10%
2008 Pharmaceutical sales = USD 773.1 billions
Source: Pharmaceutical sales date from IMS “2008Global sales and prescription information”
Counterfeits data from WHO fact sheets, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheet/en/ (2009)
122 |
In Thailand, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and industry experts estimate that
approximately 10% of the medicines on sale can be counterfeit at the value of almost USD 30
million. The most common counterfeit drugs are those indicated for erectile dysfunction,
treating AIDS, bird flu, malaria, tuberculosis and obesity. Furthermore, it is reported that
counterfeit anti-malarial medicines alone collected along the border Thai–Cambodian border
were worth about USD 600,000 (see also Table 93, Table 94, and Table 95).
Table 93: Recent examples of counterfeit medicines internationally
Antidiabetic traditional medicine: China,
2009
Contained 6 times normal dose of glibenclaimide (used
to lower blood sugar) (2 people died, 9 people
hospitalized)
Metakelfin (antimalarial): Tanzania, 2009 Discovered in 40 pharmacies
Viagra & Cialis (for erectile
Smuggled into Thailand from an unknown source in an
dysfunction): Thailand, 2008
unknown country
Xenical (for fighting obesity): US, 2007
Contained no active ingredient and sold via Internet sites
operated outside the US
Lipitor (for lowering cholesterol);
Detected in the legal supply chain
Zyprexa for treating bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia: United Kingdom, 2007
Source: Counterfeit fact sheet (July 2009), WHO
Table 94: The recent cases on counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals in Thailand
Date
Aug08
Place
Barring,
Bangkok
Confiscated Items
436 Trademark
counterfeiting Viagras
Sep-08
24/14
7,808 unregistered
Nonthaburi and trademark
counterfeiting erectile
dysfunction medicine
Sep-08
Samut
Prakarn
3,360 unregistered
and trademark
counterfeiting erectile
dysfunction medicine
Feb-09
Bang
Khun
Tien,
Bangkok
7,400 unregistered
and trademark
counterfeiting erectile
dysfunction medicine
Charges
-Possess for sale of trademark
counterfeiting products
-Possess for sale of trademark
counterfeiting products
-Selling medicine without authorization
-Selling fake and/or unregistered
pharmaceuticals
-Possess for sale of trademark
counterfeiting products
-Selling medicine without authorization
-Selling fake and/or unregistered
pharmaceuticals
-Possess for sale of trademark
counterfeiting products
-Selling medicine without authorization
-Selling fake and/or unregistered
pharmaceuticals
Current status
Under
ECOTEC‟s
investigation
Under
ECOTEC‟s
investigation
Under
ECOTEC‟s
investigation
Under
ECOTEC‟s
investigation
Source: Department of Intellectual Property (2009) “Thailand‟s Implementation on Intellectual Property Rights (March 2008February 2009).”
123 |
Table 95: Thailand‟s profile on counterfeit medicines (2005-2007)

Number of cases

How where these cases detected
Source: Thai Drug Control Division (2008)
As seen from above, of three types of general medicines, new medicines are most likely
to be counterfeited. Also, prescription drugs are highly controlled, so it is difficult to counterfeit.
Thai producers who are producing only generics and new generics drugs are thus not directly
affected. The distribution channels of these counterfeited drugs include direct sales, Internet, and
even some drug stores.
124 |
Another controversial issue regarding intellectual property is the international exhaustion
of patents, leading to “parallel trade”. Parallel trading refers to products that are legitimately
bought in one territory and diverted for sale to another territory without the consent of the rights
holder in the receiving territory. If the distribution occurs across national borders, it is frequently
referred to as parallel importing (WHO (2006)). Thai law allows the parallel import of
trademark and copyright products. Neither the Copyright Act nor the Trademark Act empowers
rights owners or the authorities to prohibit the import and distribution of genuine products. At
present, there are no legislative changes planned.
9.2.2 Effects of Piracy
The consequences of drug piracy or counterfeit drugs are manifold - patient‟s safety and
security, social and economic consequences, patients do not get safe drugs, producer patent and
trademark infringements (loss of revenue), government loss of taxation revenues and
undermining the National healthcare system, acceleration of the evolution of drug-resistant
diseases and the considerable resources that are required to combat the practice of counterfeiting.
We examine the effect of piracy in four dimensions as follows:
9.2.2.1 Effect on investment
Companies decide whether to manufacture in-house or outsource manufacturing based on
four issues: 1) capacity 2) capital investment 3) technical capability and 4) development phase,
according to the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations
(IFPMA).
Taking these four issues into consideration, the 2009 Report prepared by the
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) sees Thailand as a „Priority
Foreign Country‟. It reports that the controversial compulsory licensing scheme is deterring
foreign investment, as is Thailand‟s political instability. Additionally, the local operating
environment is considered to be negative from the point of view of foreign research-based
companies due to extensive counterfeiting and parallel importation and a deficient intellectual
property environment.
Furthermore, PhRMA has criticized the government for not making any progress in
addressing current intellectual environment shortcomings, while also suggesting that the
government is actually backtracking on previously-made progress.
Undoubtedly, assessing the impact of drug piracy on investment is difficult since the
pharmaceutical research and development process is complex, lengthy and risky. For every
medicine that is approved for use by patients, countless potential medicines never reach patients
since the attrition rate is very high in pharmaceutical research and development. As shown in
Figure 51, most medicines take over 10 years and cost approximately USD 100 million to
develop (Dimasi, Hansen and Grabowski, 2003). In addition, for every 10 medicines that are
finally made available to patients, only three succeed in covering their R&D costs (Grabowski,
Vernon and Dimasi, 2002). Therefore, those three medicines must be sufficiently profitable to
cover all the costs of those medicines that do not make it to market as well as those that make a
loss.
125 |
Figure 51: Drug discovery and development process
Sources: Drug Discovery and Development: Understanding the R&D Process, www.innovation.org; CBO, Research and
Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry, 2007.
For foreign drug companies, investment in the Thai pharmaceutical industry has been
negatively impacted by emotions aroused on both sides over the compulsory licensing scheme
under which the Thai Ministry of Public Health authorized the licensing of the production or
import of patented medicines by organizations other than the patent holder in an effort to reduce
the cost of some medicines. Despite those emotions, some positive developments seem to be in
the pipeline. There has been progress on an agreement between the Thai Commerce Ministry,
PhRMA and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) to increase the availability of
cheaper drugs in the country by encouraging cooperation on research and innovation rather than
imposing compulsory licensing.
9.2.2.2 Effect on legitimate domestic market
Since Thailand‟s pharmaceutical industry is primarily concerned with production,
packaging and marketing, it is not involved in much R&D. Therefore, IPR violations do not have
a large direct effect on the domestic market structure. However, it may induce R&D based
pharmaceutical companies not to launch new products in Thailand. This reduces the opportunity
for technology transfers and development of the domestic industry. In our interviews, we found
that foreign companies are reluctant to establish research and development centers in countries
with low levels of IPR protection. In the study of Azmi and Alavi (2001), an industry survey of
10 Malaysian companies that have technical transfer agreements with foreign companies
indicated that intellectual property right protection is essential in technical transfer.
126 |
9.2.2.3 Effect on innovation
Unquestionably, innovative medicines are an important component of effective health
care systems. Pharmaceutical innovation improves and saves lives around the world. Many of
the new medicines provide better treatment results than previous therapies, and offer patients
hope where previously there was none. All in all, pharmaceutical innovation has directly and
substantially contributed to economic and social development, by helping to build healthier and
thus more productive societies.
Infringement of intellectual property hinders the development of a productive
environment for pharmaceutical innovation, diminishes advances in research and jeopardizes
technology transfer -- all of which harm the domestic industry. Countries with successful use of
IP to promote innovation and investments in research and development (R&D) will benefit in
terms of economic growth and innovativeness (see Figure 52).
Figure 52: Key characteristics of the successful use of IP to promote innovation
Source: The pharmaceutical innovation platform (2007): Meeting essential global health needs, International Federation of
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations.
127 |
9.2.2.4 Effect on public safety
The regular use of substandard or counterfeit medicines leads to remedial failure or drug
resistance and thus has serious consequences for consumer health and safety. A study conducted
in South-East Asia in 2001 revealed that 38% of 104 anti-malarial drugs on sale in pharmacies
did not contain any active ingredients and had resulted in a number of preventable deaths. In
1999, at least 30 people died in Cambodia after taking counterfeit anti-malarials prepared with
sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (an older, less effective anti-malarial) which were sold as the more
effective Artesunate.
Counterfeiters are criminals, usually working within international networks and not easily
traceable. Counterfeiting of medicines is a hugely lucrative business due to high demand and
low production costs. The production of counterfeit drugs need not occur in large facilities. The
majority of the counterfeiters apprehended so far carried out their activities in ordinary
households, small cottage industries, in backyards or under the shade of a tree.
In addition, counterfeiting is theft from the brand owner and companies face potential
implications from this illicit trade, such as liability claims on ineffective drugs, which often
contribute to a decrease in the original company‟s brand value. In addition, piracy may induce
some MNCs to avoid launching new products in countries with a high level of drug
counterfeiting and this jeopardizes public health and safety.
10 Implications for Thailand’s development
10.1 Policy implications by industry
10.1.1 Movie and music industries
Since both the movie and music industries depend on copyrighted creative works, they
share some common characteristics. In Thailand the large entertainment corporations usually
have both movie and music businesses, and use their synergy to make further profits. To promote
Thailand‟s movie and music industries, a set of appropriate policies is needed. Firstly, we will
discuss in this Subsection the policy recommendations regarding the IPR. Policy
recommendations for industry development of these industries are then presented. From their
value chain, we can see that the physical distribution channel (optical discs) is heavily affected
by the IPR piracy. The effects, however, spread to the whole value chain. While production
companies or music labels can somewhat change their business model to focus on the less
pirated parts of their business, content creators have little choice but to accept the negative
indirect effects of piracy and receive less than the full benefit of their creativity.
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Policy response to IPR infringement
In response to optical disk piracy, the government should encourage more effective law
enforcement. It should support inter-agency cooperation in monitoring and tracking, raiding,
arresting and seizing infringing goods. The corruption that is sometimes involved in lax
enforcement should be addressed. The responsible agency should root out violations at the
beginning of the supply chain. Legal punishment should be set at a level that makes optical disk
piracy riskier and less profitable. This will reduce the involvement of organized crime.
Moreover, government policy should focus on eliminating weaknesses in existing laws in
order to limit the piracy rate. For example, according the present law, officials cannot arrest
pirated-optical-disk traders if there is no plaintiff. It would be more effective if there were a
revenue stamp to indicate authentic goods, and if the cover of a pirated optical disk can be
counted as an exhibit. The law should also aim to reduce retail piracy as well.
In response to Internet piracy, Internet service providers should be asked to cooperate
with relevant government agencies to prevent illegal downloads. Also, the existing law should be
amended to cover illegal activities on the Internet. Since the Computer Crime Act B.E. 2550
does not address the IP infringement on the Internet, infringers can use the Internet as an
advertisement channel. Also, online advertisement of counterfeit drugs is widespread, even on
legal websites. To solve the piracy problem in the long run, the government should also raise
public awareness of the negative effects of piracy. It could be in the form of education in schools
or public service announcements to the public. This public awareness should support efforts to
suppress piracy by encouraging the public to report violations at the same time it will reduce the
willingness of the public to purchase the pirated products that continue to be available, thus
reducing the scale and profitability of piracy.
Industry development policy
The cost of producing creative works is high. The government should find ways to make
it easier for the movie and music industries to finance creative production.
In addition to financial assistance, the government should support the entertainment
business with promotion of exports. This is important both in terms of monetary value and
cultural value as movies and music can strengthen the cultural and social values of the country
and raise the understanding and appreciation of those values internationally. The South Korean
government‟s active support of entertainment exports is a good example.
Moreover, an increase in a number of production firms will help create more competition
in the industry. Our industry cases of both movie and music suggest that the market in Thailand
suffers from a lack of competition. The government can help reduce the barriers to entry of new
players by providing artistic training. Greater competition will bring better quality of and
enhance the variety of creative works.
The compensation system in these industries for creators should be more flexible. The
movie script writers or lyric writers should be able to select form of compensation to suit their
needs, and the compensation should be fair. This will bring more talented artists into the
industry, increasing more creative works. Also, in connection with intellectual property rights,
the IP system should be improved in the manner that provide more bargaining powers to original
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content creators. For example, there should be channels that for content creators can directly sell
their creative works to their customers, with the protection of intellectual property rights. This
will increase more creative works.
10.1.2 Information technology industries
The value chain of software industry in Thailand suggests that the content creators are
mainly of foreign companies. The alternative choices, such as open source software, however,
can be used. The competitiveness of Thai content creators should be also raised by the creation
of market of Thai software and the increase of capacity of Thailand‟s software business.
Policy response to IPR infringement
First of all, government should support IT users to buy legal software at low but still fair
prices. This may be done by government negotiation with software producers. Also, software
purchase in the form of installments with low interest rate should be encouraged to broaden the
base of the legal software market and undercut the sales of pirate software.
Secondly, government should allow options for the use of legal open source software in
government software procurements to provide competition to existing software.
Thirdly, there should be a policy that makes the purchase of legal software a culture for
the new generation of people and possibly the current generation. This can be done by educating
people on the negative effects of piracy on the creative industries and the economy in general.
This education campaign should promote the idea that piracy is no different from stealing.
Industry development policy
The value chain of the software industry in Thailand suggests that the content creators are
mainly of foreign companies. The critical disadvantage of Thai firms is a shortage of trained and
experienced software personnel. The competitiveness of Thai content creators could be raised by
improvement in training at all levels in collaboration with the Thai industry as well as providing
more opportunities for foreign experts to provide on-the-job mentoring to talented Thais.
Supply side policy aims to encourage Thai producers‟ innovation and creativity so that
Thai software products can compete in both domestic and foreign markets and to reduce the
impact of software piracy. As the software industry is highly dynamic, it is important for
producers to understand the future trends in the IT industry. The government and relevant bodies
should support the provision of information on the trends of the IT industry worldwide.
Government should support the provision of market research and advisory services by domestic
and international experts. This can be done in various ways such as hosting training sessions and
events, strengthening industry associations, raising industry standards and providing online
access to information.
The government and relevant bodies should strengthen the competitiveness of Thai
software producers in three ways.
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


The first to better protect Thai producers‟ copyrights. Since small, domestic firms do not
have the same technical or financial capability in dealing with infringement of their
copyrights, improvement in enforcement for local producers is needed.
The second is to provide a new, supporting market for Thai software products. This can
be done by supporting the producers in searching for new customers overseas. In order to
get to such new markets, however, producers will need to strengthen their product
innovation and creativity to meet international standard.
Finally, the government must move forward on long-delayed efforts to develop thirdgeneration (3G) wireless communications infrastructure. Innovation in IT is closely tied
to telecommunications infrastructure and this infrastructure offers opportunities to
develop many new products, both software and hardware. Thai producers, however, will
be severely handicapped if the Thai wireless infrastructure continues to lag behind world
standards, thus depriving Thai business of the opportunity to develop products for the
local market that can later be exported. The availability of advanced ICT infrastructure
also impacts decisions on foreign direct investment, with high-technology companies
hesitant to invest in countries, such as Thailand, where the ICT infrastructure lags behind
global standards.
10.1.3 Pharmaceutical industries
From the value chain of Thailand‟s pharmaceutical industry, it can be seen that Thai drug
companies are mostly formulating active ingredients and manufacturing generic products.
Counterfeiting mostly occurs in the generic or new generic drugs. The effects however can also
spread throughout the value chain.
Policy response to IPR infringement
The pharmaceutical industry relies heavily on intellectual property protection as it plays
an essential role in stimulating the development of new medicines. A progressive intellectual
property system also lies at the heart of attracting investment in high technology and also in
ensuring that local universities can fully secure the benefit of costly research and development.
Without patents, these essential medicines would probably not have been produced and the
development of new and better medicines could be in jeopardy.
To conclude, intellectual property protection provides an important impetus for continued
innovation in the future, which is the key to meeting future public health needs Counterfeit
drugs, which not only harm legitimate producers, but also create negative impacts on public
safety, should be seriously suppressed.
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Industry development policy
Health care systems encompass various elements and represent interests of different
stakeholders – governments, citizens, health care providers and funders. All these stakeholders
have their own objectives, which are interrelated. It is the role of government to balance these
often-conflicting objectives. Medicines are just one component of delivering better health to
patients. Healthcare professionals, infrastructure and systems are equally important and all of
these components must be developed together if the healthcare system is to be improved.
The government supports the development of the healthcare sector in Thailand, hoping to
make the country the “Healthcare hub of Asia”. At present, however, Thailand‟s pharmaceutical
production capacity is limited to “formulation” type facilities in which imported active
ingredients are made into medicines for consumption. Thailand‟s capacity for producing active
ingredients is still limited to a handful of companies and the Government Pharmaceutical Office
(GPO).
Thailand‟s efforts to develop pharmaceutical capacity have concentrated on medical
biotechnology and related life science sectors. In comparison with other countries within the
region, Thailand‟s effort in these fields of research and development commenced relatively late.
Nevertheless, many significant research-based pharmaceutical companies have voiced strong
support for recent initiatives. Thailand‟s National Biotechnology Policy Framework, which was
published in 2004, sets out a seven-year plan to achieve excellence in six areas of practical
application of biotechnological innovation. A strong focus on two key areas of clinical research
and medical tourism is needed to generate revenues to facilitate development of adequate
infrastructure and at the same time increase skilled employees trained in biomedical science. In
the last decade, Thailand has the ability to quickly become a significant regional player by
attracting significant number of clinical trials.
In this light, Thailand already possesses a significant cluster of well-qualified scientists
and researchers across various medical and life science fields, but unfortunately many such
scientists are engaged by private enterprise. Moreover, partnerships among established R&D
base pharmaceutical companies (mostly MNCs), local companies, international organizations
and the government allow the complementary expertise of the various partners to be harnessed
efficiently in the search for new preventives and treatments.
In sum, in order to develop production capacity so that the industry will become selfsufficient, foreign technology transfer will need to be attracted by creating a friendly investment
climate. Moreover, a steady stream of qualified scientists, pharmacists and chemists will also be
needed. In this respect Thailand‟s educational system will play a vital role. Therefore, viable
and efficient regulatory environment supplemented by modern educational and intellectual
property policies are definite requirements.
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Efficient markets - National action to promote efficient market environment
In theory, effective markets should allow for an efficient allocation of resources. This,
however, is generally not the case for the Thai pharmaceutical market, which is distorted by
inadequate health funding and government pricing, the monopolistic power of the GPO as well
as government reimbursement policies.
Since the pharmaceutical industry is particularly influenced by government policies, the
relationship between the industry and government is very important. Well-intentioned
government policies directed at managing scarce resources, such as price controls or restrictions
on intellectual property rights, can have unintended and grave negative consequences for the
industry, which in turn can have a negative impact on public health, as well as social and
economic development.
Legislation forms the basis for drug regulation. Medicines need to be safe, effective and
of good quality in order to produce the desired effect. Ensuring these properties requires the
creation of competent national drug regulatory authorities with the necessary human and other
resources to control the manufacture, import, distribution and sale of medicines. The Thai
government needs to develop strategies to reduce criminal activity and promote inter-agency
cooperation between regulatory authorities, police, customs services and the judiciary to
effectively control the drug market and enforce drug regulation.
One means of ensuring the attractiveness of Thailand as a center for drug R&D and
production is the implementation of an efficient drug regulatory system that functions up to
international standards. Even Thailand has shown the potential to conduct clinical trials, it is
surprising that the process of approving clinical trials has not yet been centralized leading to
uncertainty about requirements for trial approvals.
To launch a clinical trial in Thailand, a drug developer/sponsor must first select a
research facility and a team of physicians to conduct the study. In most cases, hospitals and
university medical centers are more apt to locate and retain suitable participants for clinical trials
than other research institutes due to their ready access to a broad range of patients and research
volunteers. Therefore, most clinical trials in Thailand are carried out at these establishments.
Nevertheless, the most significant area of difficulty presently facing drug innovators wishing to
conduct trials in Thailand is the perceived lack of facilities and human resources to conduct the
more remunerative Phase III studies. Some drug originators also report difficulties in obtaining
approval for the conduct of trails from ethical committees at testing facilities.
As a first step in securing the attractiveness of Thailand for clinical research,
modernization of drug regulation is paramount. It is hoped that modern legislation will clarify
not only the procedures for conducting and obtaining approval clinical trials, but also other
related important loopholes.
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10.2 Policy recommendations for Thailand’s development
As noted earlier, the Thai government has initiated a policy of supporting the development
of a “creative economy.” This is an important policy that can make a significant contribution to
Thailand‟s economic development and the needed transition to a more advanced economy that
can provide higher per capita income and better quality of life for the Thai people. Figure 53
suggests the framework for our analysis. It shows that in the transitional stage from the Old
Economy to the New Economy, there is a shift from goods and services that are factor-driven to
goods and services that are creativity-driven. Recently, new ideas in development have been
initiated by developed countries. These countries have developed their societies and economies
by differentiating their products and services to avoid price-based competition in the world
markets. In light of this analysis, it is obvious that Thailand‟s economy is still in the Old
Economy stage. Our findings suggest that the value added of creative industries in Thailand is
still low. Although there have been attempts in the 9th and 10th National Development Plans to
promote research and development, the use of information and communication technology, and
intellectual property rights, Thailand‟s goods and services still lack competitiveness.
Figure 53: Thailand’s economic structure and development status
Source: Adapted from UNIDO (2002) and Fiscal Policy Research Institute (2009)
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Nevertheless, Thailand has the opportunity and the potential to apply the concept of the
“Creative Economy” as a new vehicle for its modern economic development. The Creative
Economy policy can be implemented successfully by taking advantage of Thailand„s special
characteristics in products and services and by strengthening key supporting infrastructure in the
education and ICT systems.
Current government policies to develop Thailand’s creative industries
The Government has realized the increasing importance of developing creativity to add
value to services and manufacturing. The ultimate aim is to develop Thailand into a creative hub
in the ASEAN region. The Government has planned to spend approximately THB 20 billion on
its Creative Thailand policy. Furthermore, the National Creative Economy Policy Committee,
chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, has been set up and a Cabinet ruling has established
a 12-point commitment for the creative economy drive. Some recent government policies to
support creative industries are as follows.
The government has announced nine projects under the creative economy policy that are
being carried out by the Office of Knowledge Management and Development (OKMD). The
total budget for this project is approximately THB 53 million for the period from November
2009 to March 2010. The objectives are to provide the people with a better understanding of the
policy and the concept of creative industries, to develop Thai society as a knowledge-based one,
and to enable Thai entrepreneurs to develop their products and services using Thai culture and
wisdom. The details of nine projects are in Table 96 below.
Table 96: Nine projects under the creative economy policy carried out by the OKMD
Projects
Bangkok Creative City Scheme
 Creative Skill Mapping
 Bangkok Music Network Festival
 Creative Studio
 Bangkok Food Network Festival
 Creativities Unfold Symposium 20082009
OKMD Creative Awards
Executive CE
Creative Mobile
Creative Economy Website
Source: Public Relation Department
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Details
To encourage Bangkok residents to help turn
the capital into a creative center for various
areas, such as designs, music, and food. This
will promote Bangkok as a livable city and
make it more attractive in terms of tourism and
education
The presentation of awards for creative
entrepreneurs, or
The establishment of a creative economy
course for executives, or
Mobile knowledge dissemination to every
province nationwide.
Public relations and the development of the
website to promote the creative economy.
The relevant government agencies also are active in setting up policies to support creative
industries. The Ministry of Culture has launched a Creative Arts and Cultural Festival in the
hope of generating employment and income for local villagers by arranging multipurpose
grounds for cultural shows, and using them to sell cultural products. Other projects to be
launched include the preservation of cultural world heritage sites, the installation of lights at
various historical structures, and support for film and video production. A fund of THB 612
million will be spent under the “Thailand: Investing from Strength to Strength” program.
The Ministry of Industry also uses the idea of the creative economy in the development
of industry. For example, the second phase of the project Thai Kitchen to the World focuses on
creativity under the “Thailand Food Forward” concept. The National Food Institute of Thailand
has received THB 100 million. The Institute‟s main duties are to encourage Thai restaurant
operators worldwide to maintain the quality of Thai food and to provide international consumers
with more knowledge of Thai food and its connections with Thai culture and beliefs.
In terms of services, the Government also applies the idea of creative economy to
tourism. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is focused on creating extra value for
tourism services and products. Many investment projects have been introduced to improve
tourism sites and make use of “cultural capital” to support the tourism industry.
In light of current policies to support creative economy in Thailand, we found the role of
making use of IPR is still under-emphasized. We believe that improvement of IPR system should
be carried out in tandem with the promotion of the creative economy because registering creative
products and services as intellectual property will generate more income, providing further
incentives for creative economy development.
The critical role of the Ministry of Labor, however, is often overlooked. This ministry
should be included as relevant to the creative economy because it has the capability of raising
creative skills through its Skills Development Department and of lowering barriers to attracting
world-class creative talent to come live and work in Thailand.
Government, thus, should strongly support the creation of intellectual property. This can
be done by addressing the weaknesses of the current IP protection system. Creative industries
depend on IPR to gain the financial rewards of creativity and attract the investment capital
necessary for future development of IP. At the same time, the huge profits possible through IPR
infringement attracts pirates and counterfeiters. Meaningful fines and effective enforcement are
needed to make IPR infringement significantly less profitable. A key challenge is to improve the
system in ways that provide real protection to the IPR of small as well as large companies, since
much creativity originates with small firms. For example, in the movie and music industries,
content creators, often small companies or individuals, tend to have limited powers of
negotiation with the large companies. An improved system should also provide channels that
would allow small firms or individual creators to better protect and sell their creative works.
Also, the government should support the various alternatives to traditional full copyright
protection for IT goods as new, more flexible types of limited use and open source licenses
provide ways to lower software costs, reduce the expense of software protection, increase
competition and reduce software piracy.
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In the long run, the government should use the education system and public service
announcements to help people understand the importance of IPR. The inclusion of teaching on
the topics of creativity economy and the importance of IPR in the school curriculum is one
possible way to educate young people to understand the connection between IPR protection and
creativity.
Figure 54: Thailand’s development strategy
Source: Fiscal Policy Research Institute
Overall policy recommendations
In addition to the industry-specific recommendations described above, our study of the
contributions of Thailand‟s creative industries, the assessment of losses due to IPR infringements
and the in-depth industry cases, suggest that leaders in government and the private sector
consider and discuss the following policy recommendations to further develop Thailand‟s
creative industries.
Our analysis shows that government support for the creative industries is an important
policy direction that can make a significant contribution to Thailand‟s economic development.
Promoting creative industries is a key element in the needed transition to a more advanced
economy that can provide higher per capita income and greater quality of life for the Thai
people. In line with this policy, government should strongly support the creation of intellectual
137 |
property. Creative industries depend on IPR to gain the financial rewards of creativity and
provide the investment capital necessary for future development of IP. The government should
use the education system and public service advertisements to help people understand the
importance of IPR to the Thai economy and this, in turn, will lead more Thais to support
enforcement of IP protection and reduce their purchases of pirated or counterfeit products. More
detailed policy recommendations are provided for each of the creative industries in the full
report, but the general recommendations include the following:

Expand the elements supporting creativity already in the draft of the 11 th National
Development Plan

Development of creative industries should be carried out together with that of
knowledge-based industries. This is because knowledge and creativity are interrelated.
The government should increase its support for research and development, both through
support for public sector education and research institutes and through tax incentives for
R&D in the private sector.

Private sector firms should develop longer term strategies for product innovation,
possibly involving collaboration with universities and research institutes.

Government efforts, such as those funded by the NESDB, the Ministry of Commerce and
the Ministry of Industry, to strengthen creative value chains through a cluster approach
should be stepped up. Pilot cluster projects in the digital content and jewelry clusters
have already shown some success and should be expanded.

Weaknesses in the IPR system should be addressed. The patent registration process, for
example, should be supported with improved processes, higher fees for outside assessors
and more trained personnel to reduce the time needed to register a patent. IPR
enforcement should also be improved with fines and conviction rates that provide real
deterrence.

The role of education in creativity should be strengthened because it produces new
knowledge as well as creative people. This must include more effective and better-funded
implementation of the Ministry of Education‟s policy of moving away from rote-based
learning to more student-centered and project-based or enquiry-based learning. Of
particular importance is developing better ways to assess knowledge and creativity than
the current use of national multiple choice examinations.

Efforts should be made to attract high-level creative talent to live and work in Thailand.
Such talent should include software engineers, designers, film-makers, multi-media
professionals, authors, creative entrepreneurs and researchers. Such talented people not
only boosts the creative industries in Thailand by developing new businesses and creating
intellectual property, but they pass on their skills and knowledge to young Thais working
with them. Thailand‟s barriers to such talents should be eliminated, especially the
difficulties created by Ministry of Labor concerning work permits.
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
Teaching on creativity and intellectual property should be included in the education
system. Pilot efforts by the Department of Intellectual Property to create a curriculum and
teaching materials for use in secondary and vocational schools should be supported and
expanded.

Public service announcements should be used to create understanding among the public
that piracy of creative products is a form of theft.

The government should support the provision of entrepreneurship skills to people in the
creative industries. Software engineers, doctors, researchers and artists need the business
skills that will enable them to build profitable businesses on the basis of their creativity
and technical skills. Creative, technically capable entrepreneurs are needed to develop the
creative goods and services and then successfully commercialize them.

Efforts pursued by various Thai universities, the Office of Knowledge Management and
Development (OKMD) and the National Science and Technology Development Agency
(NSTDA) to improve the process for technology licensing should be supported as
technology licensing helps provide the revenues needed for expansion of R&D efforts.

In addition to the promotion of SMEs in general, there should be a higher level of support
for creative SMEs and creative start-up companies through the Office of SME Promotion
and the SME Bank as well as venture capitalists and “angel investors”.

Government agencies responsible for promoting the development of creative industries
should implement policy in a systematic, integrated and understandable manner.
Interagency cooperation, especially where regulatory powers overlap, is required.

Public-private partnerships to support creative industries, such as the Thailand Animation
and Multimedia Awards, the Thailand Animation Film Festival and the Intellectual
Property Mart, should be actively pursued.

Creativity, especially in the IT and entertainment industries, is supported by an
international level telecommunications infrastructure. Government should make it a high
priority to remove the obstacles to implementation of ITC infrastructure such as Wimax
and 3G and make the National Telecommunications Commission more effective and
efficient to ensure that obstacles and delays do not delay the roll out of future
technologies. Conditions for licences should provide ITC services to the public at a
reasonable cost rather than provide high income to the state. Radio broadcast frequencies
should be reallocated on the basis of value added.

The capability of organizations set up specifically to support the creative economy should
be strengthened. These include the National Innovation Agency, the Software Industry
Promotion Agency (SIPA), the Office of Knowledge Management and Development
(OKMD), the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)
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Appendix 1
Table 97: Thailand‟s creative industries in the present study (detailed)
I-O Code
080
083
Description of Industry
000
Wooden Furniture & Fixture
100
Wooden Furniture & Fixture
200
Bamboo & Rattan Furniture
900
Other
990
Others, Except Of Metal
000
Printing & Publishing
100
Newspaper
110
Thai
120
English
130
Chinese
190
Others
200
Periodical
300
Books
310
Textbook
390
Others
400
Advertisement
500
Printed Matters
510
Map
Table 97: Thailand‟s creative industries in the present study (detailed)
I-O Code
088
Description of Industry
520
Printed Advertisement Matter
530
Calendar
540
Bank Note
550
Stamp & Postcard
560
Printed Music Note
590
Others Book Binding
600
Printing Services
700
Block and Offset Plating Services
000
Drug And Medicine
100
Vitamin
200
Hormone
300
Vegetable Alkaloid
400
Other Organic Compounds
410
Penicillin
420
Tetracycline
490
Others
500
Antisera
600
Medical Chemicals
610
Anti-Malaria
690
Others
Table 97: Thailand‟s creative industries in the present study (detailed)
I-O Code
132
168
Description of Industry
700
Native Medicine
800
Wadding & Bandage For Medical Use
810
Wadding
820
Bandage & Gauze
890
Others
900
Other Drugs & Similar Products
000
Jewelry & Related Articles
100
Precious Stone, Cut Or Mounted
200
Articles Of Gold And Semi
300
Articles Of Silver
400
Articles Of Platinum
500
Coin, Not Currency
600
Pearl Product
700
Semi-Precious Stone
900
Others
901
Niello Wares
969
Others
000
Research
100
Public Research
110
By State Enterprise
Table 97: Thailand‟s creative industries in the present study (detailed)
I-O Code
172
173
174
Description of Industry
120
By University
130
By Science Research Institution (Sri)
140
By National Research Council (NCR)
190
By Other Offices
200
Private Research
900
Others
000
Motion Picture Production
100
Motion Picture Production
200
Motion Picture Distribution
000
Movie Theater
100
Movie House
200
Theatre
000
Radio, Television & Related Services
100
Radio Broadcasting
200
Television Broadcasting
300
Cable T.V
400
Video Services
500
Appendix 2
Definition of Intellectual Property in Thailand
48
Patent is a type of intellectual property that is most familiar to everyone. It is possible to say that
patent is related to everyone‟s daily life in that products that people use every day are the results
of human inventions, such as the creation of detergent, which is now highly condensed and very
effective in cleaning. Therefore, a patent has contributed to more conveniences and a better and
safer living standard.
Patent means important document issued by the government to protect an invention, a product
design, or a utility model as provided under the laws.
Invention means innovation on composition, structure or mechanics of a product, production
and maintenance processes, as well as quality improvement.
Product Design means innovation related to modification of exterior feature of a product for
beautification and differentiation.
Utility Model or also called Petty Patent is similar to invention but the level of technological
innovation is not high or it is a result of minor innovation.
Petty patent is an important document issued by the government to protect an invention.
Trademark means a mark, a symbol, or label used for a product or service as the following.
Protection for a trademark is provided under the Trademark Act (No.2) B.E. 2543 (2000). The
trademark law provides protection for 4 categories of trademarks as follows:
Trademark is a mark that is used in conjunction with goods to present that the goods is different
from other goods that use other trademarks, such as BREEZE (detergent), Ma-Ma (instant
noodle), and Red Bull.
Service Mark is a mark that is used in conjunction with service to present that the service is
different from other services provided under other marks, such as service marks of an airline, a
bank, and a hotel.
Certification Mark is a mark that the owner of a product or service uses in conjunction with the
product or the service to ensure quality of the product or the service, such as Shell-Chuan-Chim
(gourmet mark), Mae Choy Nang Ram (gourmet mark), and Halal Food (Muslim food).
48
Source: www.ipthailand.com
Collective Mark is a trade mark or service mark used by a company or other associates ventures
or members of an association or other organizations of public and private entities, such as the
Siam Cement Group Co. Ltd.
Copyright
Copyrights mean exclusive right to undertake any activity that is related to works that an
innovator has created. A copyright is a work that resulted from intellectuality, knowledge, and
assiduousness to innovate the work. It is considered a type of intellectual property that has
economic value. Therefore, an owner of a copyright should be protected under the law.
Rights under copyrights will be acquired immediately after an innovator developed the work
without registration requirement. The owner of copyright should therefore protect the work by
bringing together relevant evidence that may be used to prove the ownership of the work in the
future.
Innovative works that are considered copyright comprise of different types of works as follow:
1. Literary work, such as book, periodicals, article, publication, and computer program;
2. Choreographic work, such as cultural dance, dancing, posture or a performance that is
composed in to a story, as well as pantomime;
3. Artistic work, such as painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, photography, plan chart
picture, applied art including photograph and diagram of the work;
4. Musical work, such as melody and lyrics or only melody including a well composed tones and
chorus;
5. Audiovisual, such as video tape and laser disc;
6. Cinematography, such as movie and supporting sound of the movie (if available);
7. Sound recording, such as cassette tape and compact disc;
8. Sound and picture broadcast, such as radio broadcast, or sound and picture broadcast via a
television station;
9. Other works that are related to the literary, scientific, and art domains.
Traditional knowledge of local wisdom and cultural heritage that exists in Thailand can be
separated into 2 categories:
1. Traditional knowledge of local wisdom such as food and beverage production, herbal
products, surplus material products and products that are made from wood, stone, metal, glass,
ceramic, baked clay, leather and the like.
2. Cultural heritage are such as folk tales, stories, poems and, songs, as well as arts, painting,
sculptures, handicrafts, costumes and fabrics.
Traditional knowledge as above will be gathered for the use of public information or contacted
for use in business and promotes traditional knowledge for the full utilization for commercial
benefits. In addition, those who notify Department of Intellectual Property about traditional
knowledge can bring the certificate from department to certify banks or financial institutes for IP
Capitalization for credit and to pay debt to banks or any financial institutes.
Trade secret is trade information that is not generally well-known or is not accessible by groups
of people who normally are related to the information. The information can be used for trade
benefits since the owner or the protector of the information has maintained the information secret
by appropriate means.
Normally trade secret is under protection as long as the information remains secret. Therefore,
the right of the owner of the information is permanent as long as the information is not revealed
to the public. Trade secret will receive protection without the requirement for registration.
Accordingly, the owner of trade secret can choose to notify the trade secret by using the secret as
collateral to guarantee a loan from a bank.