‘Follow copyright or lose US'
‘Follow copyright or lose US'
Vietnamese exporters and producers face the risk of losing their markets in the US unless they respect copyright rules, a conference on competition law and copyrights heard in HCM City yesterday.
The US would not allow import of products and would fine exporters and producers a minimum of US$20,000 if they used illegal software and hardware, delegates said.
"These are provisions in the US's Unfair Competition Act [UCA] which has been effective in Washington and Louisiana states since last year," Tran Thuc Hoang, director of the Information and Telecommunications Development Assistance Centre, said.
"Vietnamese companies must prepare carefully for them if they do not want to lose their markets and prestige," he said.
Concurring with him, Pham Chau Giang, deputy head of the Competition Authority's International Co-operation Board, said though the exact details about the implementation of the UCA were not available, "I am sure this will be effective in the whole country."
"Vietnamese companies will be badly damaged if they flout the UCA," she said.
"They will be fined and their products will be confiscated for sure. In addition, they will have to pay competitors who use legal software and hardware.
"Furthermore, they have to pay high costs for courts and lawyers," she said, adding "the most important thing is that they will lose their prestige and other Vietnamese companies will be affected."
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