Copyright protection of computer programs: Conundrum

On February 22, the Prime Minister issued Directive 04/2007 / CT-TTg, whereby the Vietnamese Government expressed a strong commitment to standards of protection of intellectual property rights; At the same time, it also affirmed the deep integration step of Vietnam with international competition and WTO. However, this is also a difficult problem for the entire Vietnamese administrative system.

Double-sided problem

In fact, this is just a step to concretize what Vietnam has committed. In the spirit of Directive 04/2007 / CT-TTg, the Prime Minister requires: All relevant ministries and agencies must comply with IP provisions for computer programs (hereinafter referred to as copyright rights) soft - BQPM); legal agencies must strengthen the protection of IP rights, handle violations in the use, circulation and import and export . Especially, ministries, branches and localities must ensure the estimation arrangement State budget (State budget) to implement the purchase of legal BQPM .

Thus, Vietnam must concurrently carry out two extremely difficult problems: Anti-violation of PMB and economic operation with huge budget for buying PM . According to the latest statistics of many teams PM, the highest rate of violations of Vietnamese PMU - second in the world (more than 90%).

However, the difficulty of anti-violation of PMB is beyond the legal consciousness; legal corridors are not strict, or not strong enough, they are caused by PM producers themselves.

For a long time, many countries around the world have denounced proprietary PM producers, pushing up the selling price of BQPM too high. On the other hand, manufacturers themselves "poison" by creating technical loopholes so that users can unlock and use PM theft.

OSS and alternative applications available in Vietnam :

1 / Open source operating system has Vietkey Linux, CMC Linux, Hacao Linux . (replacing Windows operating system).

2 / Open office suite with Open Office (replacing Microsoft Office).

3 / Other alternative applications are Unikey (replacing Vietkey), 7-zip (replacing Winzip), Mozilla FireFox and Mozilla FireFox ThunderBird (replacing Internet Explorer and Outlook Express), Gimpshop (replacing Photoshop), Gaim (replacing Yahoo Massenger) .

According to experts, this is essentially an "addictive" method and gradually causes users to depend on PM. Since then, squeezing competitors in production, providing similar PM and reaping BQPM money at exorbitant prices.

It is this that forces Vietnam and many countries around the world to face financial problems when buying PMUs. Currently in Vietnam, although not published, but experts affirmed: Ministry of Finance, a series of banks . had to spend huge amounts of money to get Microsoft QBPM. Most recently, VMS MobiFone also spent more than 5 billion to get BQPM for about 1,000 computers.

According to experts, if the entire administrative system in Vietnam bought BQPM, it is a mountain of money amounting to hundreds of millions of USD. Besides, for small businesses and units, this option is not feasible.

Open source - an open path for Vietnamese IT

With the two-sided problem, the problem of PMA is creating tremendous pressure on the entire administrative system of Vietnam. So, what is the open path to the problem of PMU in Vietnam?

In a forum on WTO integration, Ms. Ton Nu Thi Ninh - Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Relations Committee - said: This is a challenge, but also an opportunity for IT in Vietnam.

Specifically, Vietnam can study other countries as creating open source PM (NM) capable of replacing dependent PM. That helps Vietnam break the monopoly of PM producers; or force them to reduce PM selling prices.

In the world, many countries have strongly applied OSS in the state administrative system. That not only helps them to be autonomous, popularize informatics to people (by open source software using native language), but also presses PM manufacturers to sell at reasonable prices; at the same time facilitating domestic PM industry.

Will Vietnam be able to implement this measure? The answer is that VN can absolutely and very much need to apply such measures. In fact, in Vietnam there was a period of OSS movement.

Also, many of the open source software (OSS) can replace or fundamentally replace dependent software. Even the application of open source software is approved and included in the project " Application and development of open source software in Vietnam period 2004-2008 " .

However, because there is no unified direction, products made cannot be popular; Besides, due to being "addicted", Vietnam OSS has not been implemented and applied.

Speaking at the OSS forum, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Manh Hai once affirmed: " The issue of OSS is not a solution, technology, policy but the main problem lies in the implementation and implementation ".

Along with this view, Dr. Mai Anh - Chairman of Hanoi Telecommunication and Informatics Association - also proposed: National level should support VN's own PM. It is necessary to bring open source software into the school, so that young people, students and students are familiar with programming, not relying on available tools.

According to the majority of experts: Along with the fact that Vietnam can completely build its own PM, the development of open source software also helps Vietnam to avoid unintended and special violations and also facilitate the PM industry at Vietnam developed.

According to calculations, if developing their own open source software, each year, Vietnam could create 3,000 new jobs in the IT industry; increase revenue of this industry by 750 million USD .

Experts recommend: Vietnam needs to develop OSS to implement international commitments, in accordance with the rules of integration and competition; just helping Vietnam with autonomy on PM programs; In particular, it minimizes the burden of the PMB money and promotes the domestic PM industry to develop.