Transformation and challenges of book copyright in cyberspace

Conference scene

" THIS IS SOMEONE'S CHILD, IT'S NOT MINE"

Speaking at the workshop, Director of the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution, Vice President of the Vietnam Publishing Association Nguyen Nguyen said: "The rapid development of the internet and the remarkable progress of digital technology have created conditions for authors, copyright owners, and publishing units to disseminate and store works more quickly and widely, while the capacity of state management, the capacity of enterprises, publishers, and the awareness of copyright protection of users are still limited, causing copyright infringement to become increasingly serious, with sophisticated and complicated forms, seriously threatening the stable and sustainable development of many publishing industries, including ASEAN countries".

The reality of pirated websites "blooming", operating openly, violators tend to shift from traditional methods to e-commerce through social networks such as Facebook, Zalo, TikTok... without geographical restrictions, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, Director of Tre Publishing House Phan Thi Thu Ha was indignant: "Counterfeit books, poor quality books are advertised and "hidden" under the names of "liquidation", "clearing warehouse", "big discount"..., with selling prices only 1/2, even 1/3 compared to real books. They also blatantly broadcast live reading of books online to increase interaction, summarize, and evaluate (review) books. There are many cases of arbitrarily translating copyrighted books for the purpose of publishing fake books, doing commercial business, but the cost of these pirated books does not include copyright costs, so the cover price is very low..., regardless of regulations".

Users read books by writer Nguyen Nhat Anh through the Voiz FM audiobook application

As a writer much loved by students, writer Nguyen Nhat Anh constantly encounters both funny and sad situations with counterfeit books. The author of I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass said: "There were students who stood in line for 4-5 hours in the sun and rain, and when I met them, I was shocked to know that they were holding pirated books. Seeing them burst into tears and turn away, I felt embarrassed, disappointed, and even in crisis."

Looking at the messy books in front of him, the author of the work could only sigh: "Whose children are these, not mine? I'm afraid that the cracks inside will leave mental trauma and negative influences later on. The belief in the goodness of the adult world will be stunted in the children's hearts...".

EDUCATION TO CHANGE PERCEPTION OF USING CHEAP BOOKS

According to research data in 2022 by Media Partners Asia, Vietnam ranked 3rd in the region, only after Indonesia and the Philippines in terms of copyright infringement rate in the digital space. If calculated per capita, Vietnam ranked first, with about 15.5 million illegal viewers, causing a loss of 348 million USD.

According to Mr. Nguyen Nguyen, copyright infringement of books on the Internet currently has 3 common forms: selling counterfeit printed books, pirated books on e-commerce platforms, popular social networks; using licensed OTT websites, applications (apps), websites registering domain names and placing servers abroad, pirated OTT apps shared on the internet, popular social networks... to provide digital book products (reading, listening, watching); taking advantage of digital technology, especially AI technology to create derivative works but not complying with regulations on copyright and related rights.

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Book exhibition about President Ho Chi Minh and Party and State leaders

On the morning of September 15 at Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, the opening event of the series of activities within the framework of the Southeast Asian Publishing Association Executive Committee Conference was the opening event of a book exhibition about President Ho Chi Minh and Party and State leaders, with the participation of member associations of the Southeast Asian Publishing Association (ABPA).

The exhibition displays more than 100 books on the following topics: Bookcase about President Ho Chi Minh; Bookcase displaying publications of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong translated into 7 languages; Bookcase about leaders of the Party and the Vietnamese revolution through the ages (photo).

Along with organizing the opening of the exhibition, the Vietnam Publishing Association also took the delegation to visit publishing houses and book companies; directly experience the mini book fair, and at the same time introduce to international colleagues the model of Ho Chi Minh City Book Street.

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Opinions at the workshop identified the fact that digital copyright violations are diverse and difficult to control. Along with that, the habit of a part of readers still taking advantage of pirated books creates a bad habit, negatively affecting the development orientation of reading culture and consumer culture of the people.

This headache is not only in Vietnam but also "spread" across countries in the region. Mr. Arys Hilman Nugraha, Chairman of the Indonesian Publishing Association, informed that the damage last year alone amounted to 7.5 million USD, while the reality is much higher. "Previous violations had to be complained about before they could be handled. Fortunately, the Government later established a task force to handle violations of the creative economy. The complaint process has also become simpler, so this behavior has been gradually corrected," said Mr. Arys Hilman Nugraha.

"Education is important to change the perception of readers who like cheap books, followed by the creation of new mechanisms and regulations to sanction. Copyright owners can request the right to enforce intellectual property rights to block websites that infringe on copyright, and provide protection for their works," said Philippine Publishers Association President Atty. Dominador D. Buhain.

Opinions also suggested that the state should quickly improve the institutions and legal system on intellectual property and constantly innovate the forms of propaganda and dissemination of intellectual property laws. The whole society unanimously said no to fake and pirated books, especially in cyberspace with strong and timely intervention of technology. Human resources are also a hot issue, because developing digital human resources is an extremely important solution to effectively protect book copyright.

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