The Publishers Association is a 'soft shield' for the book industry.

Experts believe that the revised Publishing Law needs to provide more mechanisms for professional organizations, while also perfecting the legal framework for digital publishing, copyright, and new models.

Vietnamese publishing activities are increasingly expanding into the digital environment, with new content models such as audiobooks and e-books. Photo: HP .

Speaking to Tri Thức - Znews , Mr. Nguyen Van Phuoc, founder of First News, and Mr. Le Hoang Thach, CEO of Voiz FM, commented that professional organizations can play a more important role in protecting business rights, supporting policy critique, and promoting the digital transformation of the publishing industry.

According to businesses, as publishing activities increasingly expand into the digital environment, many new issues arise that are beyond the capacity of individual entities to handle, especially the issue of copyright on online platforms.

Adding mechanisms to support publishing businesses.

Mr. Nguyen Van Phuoc believes that clearly defining the role of the Vietnam Publishers Association in the amended Publishing Law is directly related to the industry's ability to protect itself.

"Legalizing the role of the Publishers Association is not only necessary but also an urgent necessity to upgrade governance capacity and protect the survival of the entire industry. The Association cannot exist only in name; it must be a self-governing institution with real power. Those in the book industry need the Association to act as an arbitrator in resolving unfair competition and minimizing legal risks for businesses," he said.

According to the founder of Tri Viet - First News, one of the most pressing needs today is to build a more effective copyright protection mechanism in the digital environment. He believes that with a suitable legal framework, the Vietnam Publishers Association could participate in establishing a copyright protection center or represent businesses in dealing with cross-border platforms when copyright infringement occurs.

Mr. Nguyen Van Phuoc, founder and CEO of First News - Tri Viet, believes that the Vietnam Publishers Association needs to become a launching pad and a shield to protect book publishing businesses.

"Only when we have a legal representative who speaks on behalf of the entire community will we have enough power to pressure cross-border giants like TikTok, Facebook, or Shopee to establish a mechanism for the immediate removal of digital copyright infringements, instead of leaving book publishers to painstakingly report each link manually," he stated.

From the perspective of digital publishing businesses, Mr. Le Hoang Thach assessed that the Vietnam Publishers Association has played a crucial role in connecting publishers, technology companies, and distributors. Activities such as professional exchanges, industry networking, and promoting reading culture have helped the market better understand digital publishing models like audiobooks.

However, according to Mr. Thach, in the context of the industry's strong shift towards a digital environment, professional organizations may be given additional mechanisms to support businesses.

"In the context of digitalization, the Association should be given a more coordinating role in collecting and building a common database for the industry. For example, the Association could participate in building a mechanism for sharing revenue data without disclosing business information, or a platform to report digital copyright infringement to support businesses in dealing with pirated content," Mr. Thach proposed.

The CEO of Voiz FM believes that building industry data not only serves management purposes but also provides businesses with a basis for market research, trend forecasting, and long-term development strategy planning. Furthermore, he suggests that professional organizations can participate more in training and supporting businesses in applying new technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI), in content production and distribution.

完善 legal framework for digital publishing

Beyond the discussion about the role of professional organizations, businesses argue that the draft revised Publishing Law needs to more closely reflect the changes in the publishing market over the past decade.

Mr. Le Hoang Thach observed that the current market is vastly different from when the 2012 Publishing Law was enacted. “While previously paper books were the central focus, now content is increasingly consumed through ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts, short videos , and digital platforms. Consumer behavior has also changed, especially among the younger generation who prioritize short, convenient content that can be consumed while traveling or working,” he said.

According to the leader of Voiz FM, the development of AI is also changing the way content is produced and distributed. This opens up new opportunities but at the same time poses challenges related to copyright, content control, and fair competition in the market.

Mr. Le Hoang Thach (left), CEO of Voiz FM, believes that the amended Publishing Law needs to be updated more significantly to accommodate digital publishing formats and new content models.

Based on that experience, he suggested that the draft Law needs to be updated more significantly to reflect new forms of digital publishing and content models.

“I hope the draft Law will be more updated to reflect the realities of digital publishing and new content models such as AI-powered publications or multimedia publications. There needs to be clearer regulations on the responsibility of intermediary platforms in allowing users to upload infringing content, as well as a mechanism for quickly handling infringing content,” Mr. Thach said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuoc argued that one of the biggest bottlenecks currently remains the long-standing problem of book piracy and copyright infringement, which has not been dealt with strongly enough.

According to him, if the goal is to build a healthy publishing market, the amended Publishing Law needs to be more closely linked with the provisions of criminal law and e-commerce.

"The Publishing Law must be synchronized with the Criminal Code, officially defining the act of printing and selling pirated books as the production and sale of counterfeit goods. Only when pirated books are treated as criminally as counterfeit goods will the legal risks be enough to deter those who profit from this," Mr. Phuoc emphasized.

He also suggested increasing the responsibility of e-commerce platforms in preventing copyrighted products, instead of only taking action after receiving complaints from businesses.

On the other hand, Mr. Phuoc suggested that business investments in building reading centers in remote areas should be tax-deductible as an investment in cultural development, instead of being treated as regular business expenses.

Source: https://znews.vn/hoi-xuat-ban-la-la-chan-mem-cho-nganh-sach-post1655390.html