A research study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration

Research Studies Project Report (M.B.A.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1994

The importance of enhanced intellectual property protection especially in the field of software protection is widely recognized. The need to amend the copyright law to define computer software as literary works protected under the copyright law has become critical issue in Thailand because of pressure exerted by the Western developed nations. Computer software protection has thus become an issue which Thailand should consider seriously. In this research study a framework for assessing the benefits and costs of software protection in Thailand has been developed to study the likely impact of the copyright law on the Thai software industry. An extensive literature review was carried out for this purpose. A questionnaire was then developed based on the proposed framework to obtain expert opinion on the validity and importance of the benefits and costs identified in the framework. Based on the findings of the survey the various issues related to the benefits and costs are discussed. Recommendations are then made to develop strategies that can ensure maximization of benefits and minimization of costs. No quantification of benefits and costs are attempted and this research study may be regarded as an exploratory study which attempts to investigate the benefits and costs of intellectual property protection on the software industry of Thailand.