The Copyright Act (No. 3) B.E. 2558 (A.D. 2015) was approved by the National Legislative Assembly, signed into law by the King and published in the Royal Gazette on February 5, 2015. It came into force on April 6, 2015, on the sixtieth day after the publication in the Royal Gazette on February 5, 2015.
The Act amends the Copyright Act B.E. 2537 (1994), introducing the prohibition of, and penalties for, recording movies in movie theaters, and exemptions from copyright infringement for disabled people.
The Act is divided into 5 sections relating to the following:
title of the Act (Section 1);
date of entry into force of the Act (Section 2);
prohibition of, and penalties for, recording movies in movie theaters (Sections 3 and 5); exceptions to copyright for the benefit of disabled persons (Section 4).
Sections 3 and 5 of the Act add Sections 28/1 and 69/1 to the amended Act. Section 28/1 provides that any unauthorized recording of movies in cinemas, even for personal use, is explicitly prohibited. Section 69/1 imposes penalties for unauthorized recording of images, sound, and/or movies in movie theaters under Section 28/1. A perpetrator of this offense is subject to 6 months to 4 years imprisonment and/or a fine ranging from 100,000 baht to 800,000 baht.
Section 4 of the Act adds subsection 9 to Section 32 of the amended Act, which states that reproduction or adaptation of works for the benefit of the disabled is exempt from infringement, provided that the reproduction or adaptation is not done with the intention of profit earning.
Source: WIPO Lex News
