Nokia Vietnam & FPT Telecom Sued for Copyright Infringement

Thursday, November 13, 2008, 5:35
Internet
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Mobile phone seller Nokia Vietnam and FPT Telecom will face a $3 million lawsuit by (RIAV) Recording Association of Vietnam for violating intellectual property rights and copyright infringement of recorded music. RIAV has already said that both companies will be brought under litigation for sharing recorded music over the internet through its website, Nhac So , and making use of copyrighted material on FPT Telecom’s internet television service, IPTV.

The allegation has also revealed that Nokia Vietnam let its customers download 1,000 copyrighted songs from a 10,000 song database via FPT Telecom website, Nhac So. Nokia Vietnam seems to be unresponsive in the allegation, stating to VietNamNet that Nokia Vietnam doesn’t want to comment on the allegation and supports the two sides [RIAV and FPT Telecom] to work out the problem amicably.

Pointing its finger at FPT Telecom, Nokia wrote a letter to the RIAV last week, which says that FPT had already made clear to them that it might not be having the requisite rights for all of the music content on their website, though they had in advance confirmed to Nokia that they certainly have the legal rights for the total music content on their website. Replying to the letter, RIAV reacted humbly and said that it is aware of Nokia’s reputation but acknowledges that Nokia is neglecting its responsibility.

As a result of the suit, lots of questions have arisen. The most important one is: If Nokia has been sharing out music in Vietnam, why is it feeling helpless without third-party licensing deal rather than making global licensing deals itself?

Founded in2003, RIAV represents the interests of the recording industry in Vietnam. Presently it acts in support of over 50 companies and its stated policies are to defend music piracy and enforcement copyright laws, comprising digital rights management.