News-compiling website baomoi.com has apologised to Nang Luong Moi (New Energy) Newspaper and other online newspapers for using their articles without permission.
Baomoi.com has illegally used some 10,000 news items from Petrotimes
Baomoi.com, a news site that collects stories from local newspapers and major media outlets, has illegally used some 10,000 news items from Nang Luong Moi’s online edition - the Petrotimes (www.petrotimes.vn) over the past two years, said the newspaper Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Nhu Phong.
According to the Petrotimes representative, this constituted serious intellectual property infringement by automatically gathering news from other media outlets and using them for commercial purposes.
The editor-in-chief said baomoi.com represented several other online newspapers such as Dantri (DTiNews), VietnamNet and VnExpress which have a large number of articles illegally used by baomoi.com.
Petrotimes has requested baomoi.com to stop using its information immediately, if the situation still continues, it will sue the newswire after March 7.
To Van Long, an official from Vietnam Copyright, said baomoi.com’s violations could see the site fined VND500 million (USD23,800) in line with Decree 47 issued in 2009.
Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of EPI Technologies JS Company which operates baomoi.com, admitted the wrongdoing for illegally using the information from Petrotimes and other online newspapers. He said that his company would remove all news items of Petrotimes from baomoi.com and also send documents to seek approval from Petrotimes as well as other online newspapers for using their information on bamoi.com in line with laws.