VietNamNet Bridge - An inter-ministerial task force set up as part of a national copyright enforcement campaign has unearthed the use of unlicensed software by three design firms in HCM City.

Inspectors of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in co-operation with the Hi-Tech Crime Administration of the Ministry of Public Security, raided the offices of the Viet Nam Urban and Industrial Zone Development Investment Corporation, Atelier Viet Nam Management Pte Ltd, and Total Building System Ltd – each tenants of the Urban Development & Industrial Zone. At the Viet Nam Urban and Industrial Zone Development Investment Corporation, the officials found a large number of unlicensed software applications loaded for business use on the company's 36 computers, including Autodesk and AutoCAD design software and a sizeable number of unlicensed Microsoft and Adobe applications. In addition, 16 unlicensed copies of the local Lac Viet dictionary software were also found to be in use.

However, the company was also found to be using lawfully licensed office management and accounting programmes.

Faced with the evidence and unable to deny the use of unlicensed software, the company's deputy director, Pham Minh Hiep, signed the inspection record.

The inspection team ordered the company to cease and desist by removing all the unlawful software from the computers or work with the software owners to obtain a licence for further use.

Upon storming the offices of Atelier Viet Nam, a wholly Singaporean-owned company specialising in engineering consultancy, the task force inspected 42 computers and found 22 unlicensed copies in use of AutoCAD and Adobe Acrobat Pro, 19 copies of Lac Viet dictionary and over 80 copies of various Microsoft application.

By estimates of the software owners, the illicit software in use at Atelier was valued at over VND1 billion (US$47,619).

Vu Xuan Thanh, chief inspector of the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, said the inspectors would make follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with intellectual property laws.

Source: VNS