Vietnam 's domestic software industry and barriers to enforcement

Its a trite view that emerging markets need stronger domestic industries to own and rely on IP before the legal systems will feel pressure to provide greater IP protection. VietnamNet, a news service reports on the lack of government efforts to protect the domestic Vietnamese software industry, instead paying more attention to foreign software. The Ministry of Information and Communication cites Vietnam Copyright Agency raids on PC sellers for offering PCs preloaded with pirated foreign software. They say the embryonic local software industry is not being helped enough.  

So the Ministry of Information asked local industry associations and firms to report their software and IP to enable more effective enforcement.  This includes software copyright registrations which the Agency records. But the local industry complains that such registrations are required.  IP Komodo observes that authorities in some Asian countries still sometimes insist on registration of copyright. Maybe not legally required, it is often requested as a practical requirement for authorities to act. (The same problem arises in some countries with packaging graphics and jewellery designs which are protected by copyright).

Vietnam's IT industry now has the same view, that barriers to enforcement need to be reduced and administrative authorities need to find ways to enforce unregistered without requiring registrations.