Pirated software in Bangkok

There are a number of places to buy pirated software in Bangkok. The most obvious is at the two main IT Malls which are Pantip Plaza and Fortune Tower. Both of which have shops dedicated to the selling of pirated and copied computer software. At these Shopping Malls you can see the shops or stalls with large bundles of software titles clipped together by software type. You flick through the software titles, tell the seller what you want and then hand over the money where you'll be told to come back in 10 - 15 minutes. Upon returning to the stall, they'll hand you a plastic bag which will contain the copied CDs or, as is becoming more common, DVDs.

Depending on the shop or stall, CDs will cost you in the region of 150 Baht per CD and price isn't determined by the software you are "buying". DVDs, which are generally used to hold more software, will be in the region of 220 Baht.



It's worth noting that even though you feel you're getting cheap counterfeit software in Bangkok or THailand, the fact of the matter is, you will probably be buying pirated software that can't be upgraded or installed fully, leaving you with a 30 day trial which you can download for free from the developer's website.
Anti-virus programmes install, but very often you can't download the latest virus definitions, or they scan your computer but when something is found, remind you that you need the full version in order to remove the offending item. This is the same for Anti-spyware / malware programmes. Microsoft operating systems install but you'll probably end up with some annoying statement left on your screen reminding you that the software is illegal and then you won't be able to download service packs or patches and in the case of Office suites, you'll not be able to download anything related to templates, security patches and so on.

So, where to buy copied software copied software in Bangkok ?

• Pantip Plaza
• Fortune Tower
• MBK ( Mahboonkrong )
• Top section of most Central Department Stores ( Not Central Chidlom )
• Seacon Square
• Many other places

Almost all shops selling counterfeit software in Bangkok sell the same kind of software and it's possible to get almost anything you can think of from operating systems, mobile phone software, games, photo editing software, web site design software, office suites and so on.

Every now and then police raid these areas with Pantip Plaza and Fortune Tower being the main targets. These raids on shops selling pirated software rarely amount to anything because these shops have people watching out for potential raids and the news of a raid spreads like wild fire and all the shops close just before the police arrive. One minute you can be talking to the vendor, the next minute they are saying "sorry...police..police" and they are pulling the shutters down in their shop.
If this happens, never fear, for a few minutes later, the shops will be open and it's business as usual. Even if this happens after you've handed over your money, just wait around and the shops will open and you'll get your software.