Police Crack Down on Distribution of Bogus Magazine

Wittaya Yensabai Police reports, International journalists, investigators 03.11.2010 05:50

The real Thailand SPICE! magazine on the left and the copied version on the right. The ISSN bar code is stolen and placed on the copy. The last edition of the real Spice is Issue 54. The first copy of the fake is issue 55.

Police are searching for Wayne Watson from the USA in Thailand amid accusations that he has fraudulently taken over several companies, including Mr. Moo meat distributions with illegal acts and has counterfeited a popular magazine. A police investigation in Pattaya has discovered that a leading entertainment magazine printed and produced in Pattaya and distributed all over Thailand has been illegally copied and distributed under a different, but very similar name by Wayne Watson.

Police have caught the American ringleader in Pattaya and are searching in Chiang Mai for two Britons involved. A Filipino man in Pattaya who was selling ads for the counterfeit magazine is also being sought. Several Thai people involved have also been forthcoming to police inquiries.

Thailand Spice has been the leading English language, gay-friendly entertainment magazine in Thailand for many years. A group of mostly foreigners produced an almost exact copy and called it "Thai Spice" and apparently tried to pass it off as the original to fool advertisers and readers and make money from their crime.

American national, Wayne Frederick Watson, Jr., age 62, who is also called "Santa" because of his white beard and long, white hair, wire-rimmed spectacles, pot-belly and jovial manner seemingly tricked the owners of the hugely popular Spice magazine by making a written agreement to be an agent and to print the magazine as an agent for 36-monthly issues in order to get proprietary graphic files and the Thailand Spice magazine’s database containing advertiser and distribution information.

But after just two monthly issues - and in clear violation of the agreement and Thai law- Wayne Watson used the graphic files, unique city guides, city maps, recommended places lists, advertising client list, distribution list and even some of the former staff of Thailand Spice and printed and distributed his own version of the copied magazine called "Thai Spice" to fool readers and advertisers into believing they were reading the same magazine they had been reading for years.

The British owner of a very successful insurance company whose full-page ad appeared in the counterfeited magazine said, “I never authorized the ad to be put in Thai Spice and I surely will not pay for it. What nerve they have to copy some other company’s magazine like that. What fools they are.”

Wayne Watson also failed to produce a Thailand Spice magazine that was required under the agreement with the owners. Therefore two civil cases will be filed against Wayne Watson in addition to many criminal charges, sources say.

Informants claim he is also illegally working for at least two other companies. One is in the meat business and the other is in quality assurance.

Police are now looking for James Barnes, the foreigner named as "Editor" in the pages of the bogus copies of "Thai Spice" who lives in Chiang Mai. It is illegal for a foreigner to be the "Editor" of any publication in Thailand. This is a restricted profession allowed only to Thai nationals and it is impossible to get a work permit or for a foreigner to be employed with the title "Editor."

A foreigner who was a writer for Thai Spice named Christopher Stanley, Jr. is being sought for questioning in the case.

Anyone with information leading the arrest and conviction of these men will be rewarded. Please email drew@pattayalawyers.com if you have any information about this case or these men.

James Barnes and Wayne Watson also copied the hugely popular www.Spice-Magazine.com website calling it www.Thai-Spice-Magazine.com .

Barnes falsely stated under the Thai Spice website heading “The Editor’s Mail,” “By now, you will know that SPICE! Magazine is under new management and,bless my trousers, I am the new editor.”

The cyber-crimes suppression division of the Royal Thai Police will be receiving the complaint for this illegal act and charges are expected to be placed against the pair.

The "new" Spice magazine copied maps, content, the size, format, designs, section headings all the graphics and even carelessly included references to "Thailand Spice" by leaving the logo for Thailand Spice on one of the stolen city maps the Editor James Barnes and his boss Wayne Watson had copied and printed.

The name and logo for the legitimate magazine "Thailand Spice" was also placed on the "Contact Us" page of the 2,000 copies of "Thai Spice" magazines the copyright bandits distributed in Pattaya, Koh Samui, Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The printer is being cooperative with the investigation.

The "Thai Spice" magazine copy even used the ISSN number bar code on the front cover from the real "Thailand Spice” magazine. Also, the last printed issue of "Thailand Spice" in August was Issue 54. "Thai Spice" printed for the first time ever in September was numbered "Issue 55", not Issue 1 as would be appropriate for a first issue publication under a new name.

“They used Issue 55 to fool reader into believing they were reading the real Thailand Spice magazine,” said Tim Brighton, a long-time Thailand Spice reader who was one of many who discovered the fake.

Watson and Barnes troubles keep growing with the additional charges to be levied.

It was also discovered during the raid at "Thai Spice" headquarters that Wayne Watson had also sneakily employed some former employees of the legitimate magazine to assist him in his illegal activities.

Immigration Police from Pattaya raided one of the offices of "Thai Spice" in Jomtien and detained Wayne Watson. Additional charges are expected as the owners of Thailand Spice magazine relentlessly pursue justice.

The Department of Publishing that registers all publications is investigating charges of copyright infringements as well as fraud in the application of the "Thai Spice" publishing license. The Thai woman named on the application is being sought for questioning.

Further investigations by the Department of Labor and the Department of Revenue are continuing against Wayne Watson and his companies. Several other police departments on a local, regional and national level are becoming involved in the case so that criminal charges can be filed in all of the proper jurisdictions at all levels under Thai law.

“Compensation for damages will also be sought from Wayne Watson and all involved in this case,” said the Thai owner of Spice Magazine.

In a related matter, The Kingdom of Thailand Ministry of Culture is being notified to read and state its position on an article published in "Thai Spice" called, "Queer Darma, Buddhism and Gay Sex" written by Christopher Stanley, Jr..

Preliminary reviews by a former Ministry of Culture official hired by the owners of the legitimate magazine illegally copied called "Thailand Spice" unequivocally shows this article appearing in Thai Spice is an affront to Thai culture and may be a criminal offense.

The owners and publishers of Thailand Spice magazine and directors of the parent company T.I.T. This is (Thailand) Co., Ltd. publicly state they had no knowledge of and gave no consent for this article, or the magazine named "Thai Spice," or the website www.thai-spce-magazine.com to be published and would have never published such an offensive article or allowed their magazine and website to be copied.