Vietnamese exporters need to use licensed software

Lawyers believe that textile and garment importers can accuse a particular company of software piracy, if it uses unlicensed version of any software like Microsoft, in operations in the context of copyrights protection clause under Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact.

Importers can refuse to take goods from any Vietnamese exporter in case of software piracy, some lawyers have said, a leading Vietnamese newspaper reported.

Other TPP members can use software piracy as a tool to curtail exports from Vietnam. Already, TPP member countries like Peru and Chile are using software violation accusations to cancel import orders.

Currently, software piracy rate stands at approximately 45 per cent globally and approximately 60 per cent in Asia Pacific, according to a recent survey by BSA. For Vietnam, this figure stands at 81 per cent.

Vietnam will need to bring software piracy under control to avoid cancellation of orders post TPP implementation. (MCJ)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India