The Economic Crimes Department (ECD) of the Royal Thai Police, assisted by the US-based Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), raided four locations in three Thai provinces; arresting four Thai nationals pending charges of copyright offenses.
“Piracy sites such as Siambit undermine local and international investment in our country’s content sector, reduce tax contributions to the government, and stifle creativity,” said Suebsiri Taweepon, President of the Intellectual Property Association of Thailand (IPAT)
In business for nearly a decade
According to ACE, siambit.me was Thailand’s largest torrent tracker site, with 5.5 million average monthly visits. It provided access to a huge range of Hollywood, international and Thai content.
The site had been in operation since 2005 and was known to regularly change its domain to avoid detection. According to statements by the Royal Thai Police, Siambit.me had over 100,000 VIP members and the operators were making an estimated 1.5 million baht (USD $41,000) on a monthly basis.
Further reading
Royal Thai Police, supported by ACE, shut down major torrent website. Press release. February 19, 2024. Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).
Thai Police shut down major torrent illegal website. Article. By Li Zhong. February 17, 2024. Thailand Business News
Why it matters
ACE commended the ECD for its collaboration with ACE. “Illicit torrent sites put consumers around the world at risk of unwittingly downloading malware such as spyware, remote access trojans and even ransomware. The ECD’s action helps protect the livelihood of Thai and international creators and distributors, and it helps shield consumers from such malware,” said Jan van Voorn, Executive Vice President and Chief of Global Content Protection for the Motion Picture Association and Head of ACE.
