Police are inspecting a company. More enforcement efforts are being made to protect copyright and software ownership in Vietnam (Photo VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA)- Enforcement efforts are underway in provinces and cities across the countryfollowing software owners’ requests to take stronger action to protectcopyright and software ownership, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sportsand Tourism Inspectorate.
Every year, the ministerial inspectorate inspects an average of 80-100companies and entities, the ministry said.
“There have recently been changes in the organisational setup this year amongcoordinating agencies, especially the police, but the actions are still verymuch ongoing,” said an inspector who asked to remain anonymous.
“With respect to software ownership audits, we still rely on spot checks.Whenever indications of misconduct are found, or reports and complaints come tous, we stage surprise raids without giving anyone prior notice.”
The inspectorate did not give the total number of examinations taken so farthis year, but it noted that the number of inspector visits was likely to besimilar to those of previous years.
Between the beginning of the year and April, the inspectors further examinedcompliance with laws on computer software copyright at 26 companies and leviedcivil penalties worth 750 million VND (32,900 USD).
Some of them were major cases, including raids at the Full Ding Furniture CompanyLtd, a company based in the southern province of Binh Duong, where theinter-agency task force scanned 43 computers.
In addition to some licensed software, the team detected use of illegalsoftware from Autodesk and Microsoft at the company.
In another search at the Rehab Italian Design Company Ltd, also based in BinhDuong, the inter-agency enforcement team searched 33 computers and discoveredthe use of unlicensed software.
A representative from the ministry inspectorate noted that punitive measuressuch as financial fines, non-permanent business suspension, and permanenttermination of business, applied under the revised 2015 Penal Code, are veryclear. These sanctions apply to legal entities engaged in wrongdoing.
“With the current tough penalties, since the beginning of the year, businesseshave been taking this more seriously. They are seeking access to legalsoftware, recommending that their employees not install illegal software, andplacing stricter controls and management systems to mitigate any misconduct,”the inspectorate said.
The inspectorate said that it would continue to push for more audits and raidsin the future.
“This has been integrated into the inspectorate’s annual agenda, when it comesto the audit of copyrights and related rights as a whole, including computersoftware ownership. This is now part of our job and we will be doing it on aregular basis.”
Vietnam has been making impressive progress over time in protecting copyrightand software ownership.
Through its regular global software surveys, BSA | The Software Alliance, hasshown Vietnam’s efforts.
The BSA’s 2018 global software survey for example, pointed out that preloadedunlicensed software found in personal computers in Vietnam was measured at 74per cent, a 4 percentage point decrease compared with its prior study in 2016.
Since 2009, the BSA global software surveys have revealed that computersoftware piracy in Vietnam has been going down, from 85 percent in 2009 to 83percent in 2010, 81 percent in 2011 and 2013, 78 percent in 2015, and 74 percentin 2017, according to the recently released survey findings.
These are high reduction rates, demonstrating no small efforts from relevantauthorities and entities in Vietnam, according to BSA.-VNS/VNA
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