Software copyright before WTO

Vietnam is on the list of countries with high software piracy rates. Addressing this issue has always been raised in Vietnam's WTO accession negotiations.

We had an interview with Mr. Christophe Desriac, General Director of Microsoft Vietnam about Microsoft solutions to software piracy problems.

Vietnam is preparing to join the WTO, according to him, how will this affect the development of Vietnam's information and communication technology industry? Microsoft support for this problem?

In my opinion, Vietnam's accession to WTO in the coming time will have a positive impact on the development of Vietnam's information and communication technology industry.

As a member of WTO, investors from other countries will feel more secure about the investment and business environment in Vietnam. One of the sensitive issues when joining WTO is the method of investing in telecommunications services of multinational companies, how open this market is.

However, telecommunications is an important platform for the development of information technology. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the WTO accession on a wide range of impacts on the Vietnamese economy .

In his meeting with Eduardo, general director of Microsoft Asia-Pacific in October 2005, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan also asked Microsoft as a major US firm to help impact the Government. The US to promote the negotiation process between Vietnam and the US on Vietnam's accession to the WTO.

How will Microsoft prepare and change in terms of strategy and business operations in Vietnam market after Vietnam becomes a member of WTO?

If in 2006, Vietnam became a member of the WTO, it is a good thing for many multinational companies, including Microsoft.

With Microsoft, the investment strategy in Vietnam market will not change, Microsoft will continue to promote cooperation with the Government of Vietnam in a number of important projects such as consulting on the implementation of the national strategy on public Information technology with the Ministry of Posts and Telematics, officially implementing the Partnership in Education program with the Ministry of Education and Training, implementing a cooperation program with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry to help equip the technology. information for Vietnamese businesses.

It is known that Microsoft is in the process of finalizing to launch Windows Vietnam operating system, can you tell how Microsoft will release this product to the market? Do you hope this version will solve Microsoft's software copyright issue in Vietnam?

Windows XP Starter Edition is a localized version for the first time users of computers. This version has a Vietnamese interface and wallpapers are landscapes, typical designs of Vietnamese culture.

In addition, this version has a rich help system with tutorials and video tutorials to help first-time users get used to computer operations such as keyboards, cursors and Includes a detailed guide to the computer usage process, computer use exercises, and step-by-step descriptions of tasks that perform a number of basic tasks.

The Windows XP Starter Edition version will be available to consumers in Vietnam through computer manufacturers and assemblers.

Software piracy and Starter Edition are two completely different issues. In software piracy, people who have been using computers for a long time can still violate, while the Starter Edition is a unique product of the Windows product line designed for first-time users. computer.

So, what is the final solution for Microsoft software copyright in Vietnam?

I think that in order to reduce software piracy in Vietnam, it is statistically high in comparison with other countries in the world, the Government needs to build a copyright legal framework. tight, improve people's understanding of this issue and must have strict penalties when someone breaks.

The adoption of the Law on Intellectual Property by the National Assembly of Vietnam is an important milestone, the issue is how to get government agencies, businesses and people to understand and enforce the provisions of this law in practice. . The implementation of software copyright also has a positive impact on the development of Vietnam's software industry.