Gold Long John, Microsoft reach settlement in Vietnam’s first copyright case

March 10, 2014 | 16:05

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Taiwanese-invested Gold Long John International Co. has issued a public apology to Microsoft Vietnam and Lac Viet in Vietnam’s first software piracy case.

The apology was part of a settlement that followed Gold Long John being the first company in Vietnam sued for using illegal computer software.

Gold Long John has also agreed to pay damages concurrent with the value of pirated software found at the company, VND1 billion ($50,000).

Last December, Microsoft Vietnam and local software producer Lac Viet sued Gold Long John which produces footwear material for major brands including Adidas, Converse and Nike in Dong Nai province.

Negotiations between the firm and the aggrieved parties lasted two months before a settlement was reached.

Also, Gold Long John publicly admitted to breaching Vietnamese intellectual property law by using pirated and unlicensed Microsoft and Lac Viet software.

Vu XuanThanh, chief inspector at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has announced that copyright owners should file more civil cases to compensate for financial losses they suffer due to piracy. He added that finding and prosecuting software copyright infringers would be a main focus of the inspectorate this year.

By By TuongThuy

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