According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA), software copyright infringement occurs in nearly every country and territory around the world. Even in the United States, which has one of the lowest infringement rates, the rate still stands at 21%, resulting in damages exceeding $6.1 billion. Combating software copyright infringement is clearly a top priority for many countries, including Vietnam.
As of July 1, Vietnam’s Intellectual Property Law officially came into effect, emphasizing measures to protect the intellectual property rights of authors. With Vietnam’s upcoming accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the issue of intellectual property protection is receiving even more attention. In early June, another company in Ho Chi Minh City was fined by authorities for installing pirated software on computers to sell to customers. Since May, at least four companies in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have been inspected and penalized. Most of the infringing software involved Microsoft Windows. According to various sources, inspections will soon intensify across different groups, including end-users.
However, Vietnam, like many other developing countries, is facing challenges in reconciling the need for software use to promote IT literacy among the public with the respect for copyright protection. A significant portion of the population has a demand for computer software, yet the prices of licensed software are often too high relative to their income.
In Vietnam, the copyright fee for using Microsoft Windows XP Pro is currently $140 per machine. This is a substantial amount for most citizens who require computer software for work and study. How can these two issues be reconciled? Many experts suggest that a suitable approach at this time would be for foreign software producers to offer preferential pricing policies that align with the purchasing power of the populations in developing countries, including Vietnam. This would encourage citizens to use licensed software. At the same time, Vietnam needs to develop a plan for open-source software and promote the use of high-quality open-source software among the general public.
