Protecting copyright in the digital environment.

For the digital content creation industry to develop sustainably, copyright issues must be thoroughly addressed; widespread infringement cannot be allowed.

Electronic publishing is one of the areas where copyright and related rights are frequently infringed.

Widespread violations

The development of digital technology has brought about groundbreaking creative tools, opening up a new environment for storing, distributing, exploiting, and using works, performances, sound recordings, video recordings, and broadcasts. However, the digital environment also poses many challenges in protecting the rights of copyright holders and in the activities of copyright and related rights management and enforcement agencies.

Mr. Hoang Long Huy, Head of the Cultural Industry Management Department, Copyright Office (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), stated that with the development of science , technology, and engineering, the cultural industry is also facing significant challenges in protecting the copyrights of its products. As copying becomes increasingly easy, self-protection of copyright holders faces numerous obstacles.

In recent times, with the rapid development of social networks like Facebook and TikTok, many videos and short films have appeared, and film comments on these platforms are virtually unrestricted. What's concerning is that these short videos attract a large number of views. These videos, under the guise of commentary, have revealed key plot points of films. This behavior has caused significant losses for film production companies. Furthermore, copyright infringement is diverse, ranging from violations of author's rights such as the right to copy, transmit, and distribute works, to moral rights such as the right to publish works and the right to protect the integrity of works.

For example, in the case of football matches, numerous websites brazenly violate broadcasting rights by live streaming football games online. Simply typing "live football" into a search engine yields tens of millions of results with thousands of website addresses. Many of these sites allow users to watch major football matches such as the English Premier League and the Champions League live. This has caused significant losses for businesses operating in this field. Some companies have spent millions of dollars to purchase broadcasting rights for football matches or films in Vietnam.

In the publishing sector, copyright and related rights infringement still occurs. This includes the publishing and distribution of books, especially e-books on the internet. Copyright and related rights infringement has affected the creative and investment environment, particularly the development of cultural industries.

The rampant copyright infringement in Vietnam is eroding the resources of domestic content producers. This stems from a lack of technological infrastructure capable of implementing innovative solutions. Furthermore, legal obstacles are causing many individuals and organizations to hesitate, making them less enthusiastic about adopting technological solutions.

Find effective solutions.

Copyright and related rights are an important part of Intellectual Property Law. The protection of copyright and related rights plays a crucial role in economic , cultural, and social development, and is also one of the conditions for integration into the international economic and trade system.

Mr. Tran Hoang, Director of the Copyright Office, affirmed that effectively protecting copyright is a crucial factor in building a healthy and competitive cultural industry. This contributes increasingly to GDP, creates more jobs, and boosts the country's export turnover.

According to Mr. Hoang Dinh Chung, Director of the Digital Copyright Center (Vietnam Digital Media Association), technology is one of the important tools in protecting copyright on digital platforms. Therefore, it is necessary to improve capacity, automate content censorship, provide legal support for copyright, and detect and report copyright infringements. Copyright protection must be treated as protecting assets.

Lawyer Nguyen Anh Tu from LLA Legal Co., Ltd. (Hanoi Bar Association) believes that to prevent this problem, it is necessary to improve the copyright registration portal. This includes gradually implementing research and development of blockchain technology; integrating digital copyright management; and researching and developing blockchain-based copyright fee collection technologies. Furthermore, it is necessary to amend and supplement the legal framework to be more complete and specific, especially regarding copyright protection in the digital environment and copyright protection through technological solutions.

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