Misuse of ideas: buying pirated products

Abstract

Product piracy has been a long unsolved problem for international marketers as it damages their brand reputation and discourages innovation in a business arena. However, some say that product piracy benefits to society if products copied are worth the price paid. This study tends to answer who the buyers of pirated products are and to provide a useful information for domestic and international marketers as well as the government. Thailand was used to be the site of study as it is a big production site and market of copy products. Demographic and personal experiences were posited in the model in determining the purchase intention of copy products, international branded products, and Thai products. It was found that men are more likely to choose copy products rather than Thai products than women as women are more likely to choose Thai products rather than international branded products than men. Peer pressure also had a high effect as people tend to choose similar products as their peers. Results also indicated that people who travel less often are less likely to buy copy products. Finally, people who are less exposed to buy Thai campaign are more likely to choose copy products not Thai products.