Illegal software users on edge

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The message was delivered at a seminar in Hanoi, November 4, 2011 hosted by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), legal consulting firm Baker and McKenzie and the Open Computing Alliance (OCA).

The State of Washington and the State of Louisiana have recently passed Unfair Competition Act (UCA) while other US states have similar existing unfair competition legislations to address the inequity that certain manufacturers face competitors not playing ball.

The new law became effective from July, 2011 aiming to reward companies that use legal software by allowing exporters easier access to such states.

UCA requires manufacturers and exporters to only use legitimate hardware and software, in carrying out all manufacturing and commercial activities from offices to factories.

Deputy director of the Unfair Competition Division under the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam Competition Authority, Doan Tu Tich Phuoc said: “In fact, companies who comply with Vietnam domestic IP laws will not be adversely impacted by UCA and will also benefit from the new law in terms of business competition and international acceptance.”

Thus, he said if Vietnam’s businesses failed to comply UCA, they would be limited in their access to lucrative markets in the United States.

According to US Customs statistics released on November 4, export turnover of Vietnam enterprises to the US market in the first eight months of this year hit $11.3 billion, an on year increase of 20.6 per cent. Vietnam’s major export items to the US included garments and textiles, footwear, seafood and wood products.

Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) general secretary Pham Thi Thu Hang said: “In recent years, VCCI has host many programmes for Vietnamese enterprises to apply IT. In this trend, VCCI will continue providing support to Vietnam’s enterprises.”