Govt asks Unocal to pay $500,000

JAKARTA: The Jakarta High Court ruled in favor of a woman who filed suit against oil company PT Unocal Indonesia for distributing her book without permission.

Unocal must pay US$500,000 to plaintiff Vioolytje Sooai, 65, who worked for Unocal between 1975 and 1976, according to the court verdict, which was issued in May.

The panel of judges that heard the suit, led by Suhadi Hardjadinata, ruled that Sooai was the copyright owner of the book, Office Practice Handbook.

Sooai wrote the book while working for the company.

Unocal claimed the book belonged to the company because Sooai was only a temporary employee. The company reportedly uses the book for its internal administration.

The Central Jakarta District Court ruled on March 22, 2001, that Sooai held the book's copyright.

Lawyers for Unocal could not be reached for comment.--JP