Yesterday morning (April 20), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s inspectorate, in collaboration with the Economic Crime Investigation Department, uncovered a major software copyright infringement operation at the Ti Tan Information Technology Trade Center.
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Ti Tan Information Technology Trade Center. |
At 9:15 AM on April 20, authorities conducted an inspection at the Ti Tan Information Technology Trade Center, located at 410B-C-D Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
During the inspection, officials discovered hundreds of computers that had been loaded with unlicensed software for sale on the market. These computers also had commonly used Microsoft software installed, such as Windows XP and Microsoft Office.
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Authorities are inspecting computers at the Ti Tan Trade Center. |
Currently, the exact number of computers with copyright-infringing software installed has yet to be determined, but it is certainly in the hundreds. Authorities are still conducting inspections at the Ti Tan Information Technology Trade Center…
Along with various forms of propaganda and education about respecting copyright, the inspection and sanctioning of establishments using infringing software are being strengthened by government agencies in Vietnam to combat the widespread issue of software copyright violations.
However, there is a stark reality that must be acknowledged. Given that Vietnam’s average annual income (around $600) is lower than the price of a Windows XP Professional operating system (over $300) and the Microsoft Office 2003 suite (over $400) installed on a PC, financial pressures compel users to consider purchasing and using pirated software for less than… $1.
It is evident that without the self-awareness of each user and particularly the support of major software manufacturers like Microsoft, efforts to prevent copyright violations in Vietnam will remain a challenging problem.
Phan Công
