VietNamNet Bridge – The fulfillment of the commitments
regarding the intellectual property (IP) protection is believed to install a
firm technical barrier to Vietnamese, which is believed to change the whole
business environment in Vietnam.
The stronger reactions by
international institutions regarding the intellectual property (IP) problems
show the hard pressure Vietnam is under in implementing IP rights.
Just several days after Coca-Cola
and Samsung released the decision to remove all their ad pieces from the
website, Zing immediately had to make public the copyright agreement with
Universal Music, affirming that it would sign similar contracts with other
international music firms as well.
Prior to that, the International
Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) said it once gave a warning to Zing about
the copyright, and that the late response of Zing could be a lesson for other
businesses.
Zing is not alone. In recent
months, the number of businesses inspected on the accusation of software piracy
has been increasing rapidly. Hi-tech product distributors and some computer
shops, including the well-known ones, have become the “aiming points” of
inspectors. Taiwanese, South Korean and the US businesses operating in Vietnam
have also been examined.
The pirated software products
reportedly are made by both Vietnamese and foreign suppliers, including Adobe,
Autodesk, Corel, Lac Viet, Symantec, or Tekla.
The noteworthy thing is that not
only foreign groups, but domestic companies have also voiced their strong
protest against the piracy. MISA software firm has recently asked the police to
investigate the cases relating to the sale of counterfeit software or unlocked
software products.
A software product provided by
MISA at 10 million dong is now can be bought at just 500,000-2 million dong on
the black market.
An executive of BKAV, a well-known
network security solution provider, also complained that it takes the firm at
least two or three years to develop a product, but the product could be stolen
just some days after it launches into the market.
“The problems in IP protection
enforcement have led to the fact that businesses are not protected, and they do
not have income resources for re-investment,” he said.
The Business Software Alliance
BSA believes that pirate computer software accounted for 81 percent in 2011
with the value of 395 million dollars. Meanwhile, the Motion Picture Association
of America (MPAA) reported at least 80 percent of Vietnamese websites violate
the IP laws. It also said that the enforcement of the IP laws remains not tight
enough.
IP right enforcement would mean more barriers to businesses
Vu Ba Phu, Deputy Director of the
Competition Administration Department, an arm of the Ministry of Industry and
Trade, said that more and more effective instruments have been applied by
developed economies with an aim to create new technical barriers against
imports. Therefore, Vietnamese businesses have to pay higher attention to the
IP protection, or they would become the defendants in the lawsuits to be raised
by the rivals
“Vietnamese businesses have no
other choice than getting adapted to a national economy, where IP rights are
strictly respected,” he said.
Phu went on to say that Vietnam
has to strengthen the enforcement of IP laws once it has committed to integrate
more deeply into the world’s economy. The government of Vietnam has also has to
create a fair playing field for all investors in Vietnam.
Pham Chi Lan, a well-known
economist, said that when negotiating for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
agreement, the IP protection, the commitment on technology renovation,
environment protection and the strict regulations on product origins all have
been put on the table by the foreign partners.
Compiled by C. V
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