In Vietnam, 5 company executives, employee charged with using pirated Microsoft Office software

The provincial Department of Public Security announced on Tuesday evening that the investigative police agency had decided to prosecute a criminal case and charge five suspects with copyright infringement.

They include Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, director of Song Lam Trading and Service Company, Bui Dac Anh Duong, director of ATHENA Vietnam Information System JSC, Khuat Tien Minh, director of Tek-Solution Technology Solution Company, Dang Hung Cuong, executive director of Tek-Solution, and Nguyen Van Hung, a technical employee at Song Lam Trading and Service Company.

Preliminary investigators allege that the suspects used unauthorized activation tools, including software cracks and activators, to illegally install and activate Microsoft Office software on hundreds of computers marketed under the Thanh Giong brand before supplying them to businesses, state agencies, and organizations across Vietnam.

Police said the actions infringed Microsoft's software copyrights.

Investigators said that between 2022 and 2026, the three companies sold over 13,950 computers to 509 agencies, organizations, businesses, and individuals nationwide, generating total revenue of some VND181 billion (US$6.9 million).

Officers also revealed that during the same period, Thanh Giong Computer and Communication Joint Stock Company sold 53,000 computers to 730 customers across the country, with total sales reaching VND450 billion ($17.2 million).

The investigation remains ongoing as investigators seek to determine the roles of additional organizations and individuals who may have been involved.

The latest charges follow an announcement on June 11, when investigators opened a criminal case under Article 225 of Vietnam's Penal Code, which governs copyright and related rights infringement.

Also, police carried out emergency searches at five locations in Hanoi and Phu Tho Province linked to companies involved in computer sales and software installation.

The case marks the first criminal prosecution nationwide related to the unauthorized use of copyrighted computer software.

The move demonstrates the provincial police’s determination to combat intellectual property violations in the digital environment.