Andre Yoskowitz
21 May 2007 11:41
In an effort to curb piracy in the country, Microsoft said on Monday that it had signed an anti-piracy agreement with the Vietnamese goverment that would require that all government officials and offices to use genuine copies of all Microsoft software.
According to recent studies, Vietnam has one of the highest rates of piracy globally and Microsoft loses billions in revenue each year because of such piracy.
CEO Steve Ballmer was there to witness the signing and had this to say, "I see a prosperous future ahead for Vietnam, and the country is doing the right things by looking now at how it can foster a healthy local software ecosystem, which will help open up this market to the rest of the world".
The Prime Minister of Vietnam seemed to agree with Ballmer's sentiments. "The agreement demonstrates very strong commitments of the government of Vietnam in protecting intellectual property rights". he said before the signing.
Last year, during a visit by Bill Gates, Vietnam's Ministry of Finance signed a similar deal, the first of many Microsoft hopes.
Source:
BetaNews