Pattaya: Thai Singer Nabbed For Violating Song Copyrights
Thai Singer Nabbed For Violating Song Copyrights | Pattaya Daily News - Pattaya Newspaper, Powerful news at your fingertips
Published : February 01, 2013 :: 13:02:11
Thai Singer Nabbed For Violating Song Copyrights
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The popular Thai singer “Maithai Jaitawan” was arrested after a Pattaya concert, for singing copyrighted songs without permission. He had ended a 6-year contract with a music company that retained ownership of the songs. Police believe a compromise can be worked out.
PATTAYA – January 31, 2013, at 11:40 p.m., a report that a famous Thai singer was violating song copyrights at a Pattaya concert was received by Pol. Lt. Col. Chuangchot Mongkolthanayuth, investigation officer, Pattaya police station, Chonburi province. He went to check the scene with Pol. Lt. Col. Phongsawat Wongwan, Inspector; Pol. Maj. Kovit Sawatmongkol, Inspector; and 10 officers from the Pattaya police team and Chonburi police.
Notifying the police was Mr. Prasit Prasertkittikul, who works for GMM Music Publishing International Co., Ltd., and seven other companies. He told police that a well-known northeastern style singer was performing songs without permission that were owned by GMM Music.
The singer was identified as “Maithai Jaitawan” or Mr. Monchai Raksachart, age 45, from Baan Hua Had, Tambon Thanya, Amphur Kammalasai, Kalasin province. Mr. Maithai was performing onstage in a concert billed as “Maithai Jaitawan vs. Karntong,” being held at an outdoor location on third Pattaya road, opposite to Amporn seafood restaurant in central Pattaya.
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When police arrived at the concert, they found a fence blockading the concert area, under a light drizzling rain. The ticket prices were adult 120 THB, children 50 THB, and foreigners 150 THB. About 1,500 people were at the concert, a mix of Thai and foreigners. When the police went inside, Mr. Maithai was singing his last song of the evening, “Thook Thing Thee Pattaya.”
When he got off the stage, the police moved in to arrest him. However, Mr. Monchai quickly walked away to escape to his band’s bus, and also to avoid the reporters who were following. The police got on the bus to negotiate with Mr. Maithai until he consented to surrender.
But Mr. Maithai asked the reporter not to take his photograph, because he afraid that it might cause his fans to stampede. So the police restrained Mr. Maithai to get in a police car behind the stage to take him to investigate at the Pattaya police station. Mr. Maithai revealed to a reporter that previously he had been with the Seang Isarn band, and was a singer for the “Grammy” record label for 6 years.
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However, he recently resigned from the band and ended his contract with the company on January 14. Since then, he has been wandering around Thailand to perform at concerts in many provinces. However, the GMM Grammy Co., Ltd. sent a note to warn him not to perform any of his previous songs that Gramm still owns by copyright.
The note stated that because Mr. Maithai had ended his contract, he needed to talk with the company first before he could perform any of the copyrighted songs. But Mr. Monchai claimed he didn’t have knowledge about this matter, and didn’t have a lawyer to advise him.
So he sang the songs belonging to GMM Grammy without any intention to violate the copyright. So he would like to apologize and ask for forgiveness from the executives of the company, and will ask to meet with the executives to work out a compromise.
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The police revealed that it seems this case can be compromised, so they allowed Mr. Monchai to post a bail of 50,000 THB for his release. If the two sides can reach a compromise, the case will be closed.
