VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam is making efforts to crack down on
copyrights infringements, but such piracy still persists.
Samsung and Coca-Cola recently
cancelled their advertising contracts with Zing.vn, the online news,
entertainment and social network of company VNG. Both Samsung and Coca-Cola
cited concerns about Zing’s use of musical works without permission.
"Corporate users of illegal
software can face criminal charges and severe legal penalties. In addition,
copyright owners have the rights to use different measures to protect their
interests, such as filing a lawsuit" - Vu Manh Chu, director of the
Copyright Office
Zing.vn made no comment on the
incident. A few days later, it signed an agreement with Universal Music Group
on music copyrights. Under the deal, VNG will provide users in Vietnam with
Universal Music records in the form of streaming and download with fees, as from
November 1, 2012, from the whole system of Zing. Zing and 17 other websites
started to charge VND1,000 (US5 cents) on a song downloaded.
According to the Recording
Industry Association of Vietnam (RIAV), Vietnam has about 150 websites that
allow online music downloads. But only 18 of these websites charging fees, so
copyright infringement remains common.
Similarly, computer software
piracy is still popular in the country though Vietnamese laws provide strict
regulations against the violations, such as fines and lawsuits against the
infringements. There are cases in which users of pirated software have ignored
the implementation of decisions by government inspectors.
During a raid this September at
Taiwanese-invested company Princemate Vietnam, the joint inspection team from
the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Public Security
found unlicenced computer software programmes used at the company.
Inspectors wrote that within five
inspection days, the company had to contact software owners to buy legal
software programmes for its business. The company was required to show the
purchase contracts, receipts and relevant documents to the Inspectorate of the
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Company representatives agreed to follow
inspectors’ requirements, but have not taken such actions in the weeks that
followed.
Vu Manh Chu, director of the
Copyright Office of Vietnam under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism,
said: “Corporate users of illegal software can face criminal charges and severe
legal penalties. In addition, copyright owners have the rights to use different
measures to protect their interests, such as filing a lawsuit.”
VietNamNet/VIR
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