Recently, the Copyright Office of Vietnam (COV), Inspectorate of MOCST, Business Software Alliance (BSA), Vietnam Software Association (VINASA) was signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on strengthening their co-operation and co-ordination in the Protection of software copyright in Vietnam.
This landmark memorandum sees the establishment of a partnership between Vietnamese government agencies, Vietnamese business associations and an international association for the purpose of initiating effective action programs in the fight against software piracy in the country.
In his speech at the signing ceremony, Dr. Vu Manh Chu, Director of the National Copyright Office, Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said: “In recent years, Vietnam has achieved significant results in reducing software piracy. I hope this agreement will result in greater reductions in software piracy. The objectives of the partnership are to increase awareness and respect for software copyright, particularly amongst businesses. This in turn will expedite growth of the software industry in Vietnam.”
In the MOU, the National Copyright Office and the Inspectorate of MOCST agreed to promote greater public awareness of copyright issues through education campaigns; particularly amongst the business community, so that through the use of original and licensed software. The MOU also aims to enhance inspection of individuals and organizations infringing on software copyright, and support for stricter punishment of violators. It also hopes to work with media agencies in enhancing public awareness.
The stakeholders also vowed in the agreement to promote training of law enforcement personnel and boost international co-operation activities at both local and national levels.
Mr Tarun Sawney, BSA Asia’s Director for Anti-piracy, said: “We are glad to co-operate with Vietnam’s government agencies in the fight against software piracy and contribute in the development of the country’s software industry. As the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world, we are committed to the MOU, to provide training courses and seminars for local enforcement personnel. We also hope to provide assistance and support to these agencies by offering information on international best practices in creating and implementing copyright laws, policies in areas of protection of software copyright. Finally, in neighboring countries we were also successful in establishing and maintaining a hotline whereby of the public can report to enforcement authorities on software copyright infringements. We hope to be able to replicate that success in Vietnam in a near future”.
In recent years, Vietnam has seen PC software piracy rates decrease significantly, from 92% in 2004 to 85% in 2007. A study conducted by IDC, the information technology industry’s leading global market research and forecasting firm, which was released earlier this year predicted that a 10 percentage point drop in PC software piracy rates over the course of 4 years could see an additional US$623 million worth of revenues being generated by the industry.
Kim Phuong
Vietnamese
