FPT admits copyright violation

FPT Telecom Wednesday admitted violating intellectual property rights and said it would negotiate to pay for rights to over 10,000 songs on its website.

The admission came in an official statement to the Recording Industry Association of Viet Nam (RIAV) which had threatened to sue FPT Telecom and Nokia Viet Nam over copyright infringements on Monday.

Nokia Viet Nam Company said they were looking into the claims and were in discussions with RIAV.

RIAV had accused Nokia Viet Nam, FPT Telecom and FPT Online Service Joint-Stock Company (FPT Online JSC) of using its music products without permission by giving out promotional cards to download free music from the website www.mp3.nhacso.net/nokia.

“Almost all 10,446 music files on the website, run by FPT Online, are property of RIAV or composers and singers who have authorized us to hold the copyrights,” said Truong Thi Thu Dung, RIAV’s standing vice chairwoman.

In the statement to RIAV, Nokia Viet Nam stressed that it always obeys regulations on intellectual property rights.

Nguyen Ngoc Long, director of FPT Online’s music center wrote in his statement to RIAV that there had been a misunderstanding that they would clear up.

In a meeting with Long, RIAV’s Dung said FPT Online and Nokia Vietnam had acted unlawfully, citing four RIAV members - Rang Dong, Ben Thanh, Phuong Nam Film and Hoang Dinh – who stated they had never sold any music to the two firms.

According to Dung, IPTV, the FPT Telecom’s Internet television service, also violated copyrights by broadcasting music without permission.

“IPTV still hasn’t replied to RIAV regarding the public accusations but it has shut down the service,” Dung said. (TN)