Raided by the copyright mafia

**DrB0b** · 25-05-2010, 12:15 PM

Among the various businesses we own we have a karaoke restaurant about 10 miles outside Chiang Mai. Earlier tonight, about 4 hours ago, a van pulled up outside and disgorged a knot of policeman and a sweaty man in a suit. They charged into the restaurant screaming about karaoke licenses and copyright violations. Mr Suit handed over a wad of damp photocopies which he claimed were his authorisations as a copyright control nark.

OK, we thought we'd deal with this calmly. He wants to see our licenses, we show him the licenses. He wants to see the song-lists on the computers, no problem. He points to some random song and says this publisher, RS, isn't covered by our licenses. I toddle off to the back and come back with the handy list of music publishers we got from the license provider. There it is, in English and Thai, RS Records, all covered by the licenses.

We ask him which police station he's come from, he says Pa Haa, Chiang Mai Provincial Police HQ. We phone them up. They've never heard of the guy. We then ask the cops where they've come from, they shuffle around awkwardly for a while and eventually mutter something about Sankhampaeng Police Station. By this point Mr Sweaty has become considerably more sweaty as he realises that this isn't quite going the way he expected. Our staff are, of course, mildly panicked by the presence of these so-called officials. I try to calm them a little by telling them to use their mobiles to photograph Suit and his henchmen. this keeps the staff amused but doesn't go down too well with the boys in brown. Still, nothing they can do to stop it.

Suit then, of course, falls back on the tried and trusted Thai technique of asserting his authority by screaming at everyone in sight. He starts railing at the cops, telling them to load the computers into the van, take the PA equipment, and arrest the manager. At this point my wife, all 4 foot 11 of her, finally decides she's had enough. She hates gangster cops with a passion and is not shy about letting them know. She launched into one of the finest tirades I've ever heard.

She cursed Sweaty and the cops, at top volume and in fine, lucid Thai, seven ways from Sunday, described their ancestry in lurid detail, lectured them on how corruption was the curse of Thailand and how they should be ashamed of themselves, threatened them with Army Generals, Police nabobs, Lawyers, Redshirts, and Judges. She sneered at their photocopies, told them that if they actually had a case they should have original copies of all their bumf and not some manky and wrinkled pieces of old, damp paper, called them liars, thieves, and gangsters, and told them to get the hell off our property right now!

They turned tail and ran, piled back into the van and screeched off down the road in a haze of exhaust fumes and dust.

They may be back, maybe not. Right now I don't know, talking to other people who've been raided like that the general experience seems to be that if you don't fall for their scam right away they don't bother coming back. I hope that's true. Either way, seeing Mr Loudmouth Pu Yai and his band of country cops deflate as my missus verbally flayed them was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my time in Chiang Mai

**StrontiumDog** · 25-05-2010, 12:19 PM

It's a great tale and sounds like you have a wonderful lady in your life there DrB. I hope I end up with someone as assertive as her (not easy to find!). She sounds awesome.

Thanks for the tale. Appreciated.

It's nice to know things can work out well. I hope these imbeciles get the message and stay away.

**jandajoy** · 25-05-2010, 12:21 PM

Excellent. Thanks Bob.

**kingwilly** · 25-05-2010, 12:24 PM

Thanks for reposting, an interesting tale.

Originally Posted by DrB0b

We ask him which police station he's come from, he says Pa Haa, Chiang Mai Provincial Police HQ. We phone them up. They've never heard of the guy. We then ask the cops where they've come from, they shuffle around awkwardly for a while and eventually mutter something about Sankhampaeng Police Station.

Interesting, I hope that you follow this up, if they have never heard of him, then he is nothing then an illegal criminal, and oughta be locked up. Wonder if the police really were from Sankhampaeng, and if they were operating legally last night...

**Cujo** · 25-05-2010, 12:39 PM

Hillarious, thanks for making the effort to do it again.

**sabang** · 25-05-2010, 12:41 PM

Great stuff Bob- look, this tale is commonplace in Pattaya.
They're just moving further afield. Coulda told you so.
Yer wifes got cojones mate!!
I really doubt they will be back. TIT.

**panama hat** · 25-05-2010, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by sabang

Yer wifes got cojones mate!!

DrB is married to a pre-op LB????

**Ghandi** · 25-05-2010, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by panama hat

Originally Posted by sabang

Yer wifes got cojones mate!!

DrB is married to a pre-op LB????

She the one who keeps on editing this thread a'la Thai Visa style

**Loy Toy** · 25-05-2010, 01:43 PM

Again, well done to the Mrs BOb and I am sure the cretins will keep well away from your place in the future.

What really pisses me off is they don't seem to be able to handle a situation whereupon the person or business they are targeting have everything in order and according to the law. They then go about inventing new misdemenours in their attempt to force a payoff.

I am glad you stood your ground and may your experience be a lesson for those that are confronted by these thieves in the future.

**kmart** · 25-05-2010, 02:03 PM

Nice one. About time the general (male) population of this country started acting a bit more like that.

We've even had pretend cops come into our offices in Rayong saying they were collecting charitable donations to buy bulletproof vests.. The things you see when you don't have your gun, eh?

**dotcom** · 25-05-2010, 02:07 PM

It's cool being a mod so you can delete & restore at will. Huh?

**panama hat** · 25-05-2010, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by dotcom

It's cool being a mod so you can delete & restore at will. Huh?

Y e s

**sabang** · 25-05-2010, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by dotcom

It's cool being a mod so you can delete & restore at will. Huh?

It's cool being a Pleb too, so you can moan about everything.

**Bazzy** · 25-05-2010, 03:07 PM

Great story Bob. The only way to deal with a bully is to bully back harder. I've witnessed the wrath of a less than 5 foot nothing thai woman and it was something to behold.

**planestanley** · 25-05-2010, 03:27 PM

Priceless
Is she aailable for odd jobs?

**panama hat** · 25-05-2010, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by planestanley

Is she aailable for odd jobs?

Oddjob????

I believe she is happily married to DrBob . . .

**Mid** · 25-05-2010, 03:56 PM

Up ya go Mrs DrBob

**DrB0b** · 25-05-2010, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by panama hat

Originally Posted by planestanley

Is she aailable for odd jobs?

Oddjob????

I believe she is happily married to DrBob . . .

He looks exactly like the guy I buy my morning cup of coffee from.

**shunpike** · 25-05-2010, 04:03 PM

Glad this thread got restored, missed it the first time around. Great story, good for the misses.

**hillbilly** · 25-05-2010, 04:10 PM

Great story.

**Bogon** · 25-05-2010, 04:32 PM

Great read DrBob.
Great when the predator becomes the prey!

**larvidchr** · 25-05-2010, 05:25 PM

Well done for reposting it DrBob, and again well done to Mrs DrBob. big power in a small package

**helge** · 25-05-2010, 05:51 PM

That was a good read. Thanks

**slackula** · 25-05-2010, 06:24 PM

Jeez, this thread has had more work than that Wildenstein woman. Make your minds up guys..

**Butterfly** · 25-05-2010, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by DrB0b

Among the various businesses we own we have a karaoke restaurant about 10 miles outside Chiang Mai

you capitalist pig, I always knew behind your revolutionary socialist rethoric, there was a dormant entrepreneur.

indeed, good work, too bad it couldn't be recorded on cam, could have put it youTube, and would have become an instant classic all over Thailand

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