"Digital Shield" protects publishing copyrights.

With the rise of copyright infringement in the digital environment, the Vietnamese publishing industry is facing many new challenges. Infringement methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated, cross-border, and supported by modern technology.

Readers browse and select books at the Hanoi Book Fair. (Photo: TUỆ NGHI)

This reality necessitates an urgent shift from a passive approach to proactive prevention, governance of rights, and the building of a synchronized foundation between legal frameworks, technology, and social awareness.

Numerous violations in the digital environment.

Along with the rapid development of electronic publishing and the shift towards the digital environment, there has been a rapid increase in copyright infringement in cyberspace.

Previously, copyright infringement mainly occurred in the form of illegal printing, commercial photocopying, or unauthorized reproduction… but now, infringement has shifted significantly to the digital environment, with a much higher level of sophistication. Shortly after release, electronic publications can be scanned, converted into PDF, EPUB, or audiobook files, and then distributed via social media, pirated websites, free e-reader apps, cloud storage, or private groups on Telegram, Facebook, and Google Drive.

Many businesses report that the aforementioned situation is unfolding at an alarmingly rapid pace. Notably, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is also beginning to be exploited to "re-read" book content in video format, livestreams, or to create derivative products from copyrighted data without the permission of the copyright holder. According to industry reports, the damage caused by copyright infringement in the digital content sector in Vietnam is approximately 7 trillion VND per year.

One of the major challenges today is the difficulty in identifying and addressing violations in the online environment. Specifically, violators often use cross-border platforms, servers located abroad, anonymous accounts, or constantly change domain names to evade prosecution...

Another notable reality is the significant gap between detecting violations and the ability to process legal evidence. Many suspicious links are reported, but there is insufficient evidence to take action due to scattered data, individually stored rights agreements, a lack of a centralized retrieval mechanism, and the absence of a common data standard.

Based on this experience, many organizations believe that effective protection of digital copyright cannot be limited to post-infringement measures alone, but requires the establishment of a comprehensive rights governance mechanism from the outset, combining technology, data, and law.

Strengthening the technological "shield".

Given the increasingly complex nature of violations, Prime Minister 's Directive No. 38/CĐ-TTg has called for a strong shift from a "post-violation handling" mindset to a "proactive prevention" approach, with technology and inter-agency coordination as the pillars in protecting intellectual property rights in the digital environment.

According to the Copyright Office, three key solutions are being implemented, including: requiring intermediary platforms to remove infringing content within 24 to 72 hours; building a copyright protection mechanism in the AI ​​environment to prevent the unauthorized exploitation of data for model training; and strengthening the handling of organized infringements through administrative or criminal measures.

From a business perspective, many organizations believe that perfecting the legal framework is an urgent requirement. A representative from Alpha Books Joint Stock Company stated that it is necessary to clarify the responsibilities of intermediary platforms, digital service providers, and data storage units; supplement mechanisms for handling the illegal distribution of electronic publications; improve regulations on electronic evidence; and research mechanisms for managing the use of copyrighted data in AI training. Many businesses proposed building a "notification and removal" mechanism aimed at shortening processing times, increasing the collaborative responsibility of digital platforms, and allowing the application of temporary blocking measures for websites with serious violations.

BOOKAS Joint Stock Company has proposed that the Vietnam Publishers Association study the establishment of a Copyright Center in the publishing sector to support copyright verification, standardize copyright data, trace the origin of publications, and coordinate the handling of infringements for both printed and electronic publications. According to the company, the formation of a centralized copyright database will help to increase transparency in exploitation activities, identify copyright holders, the scope of exploitation, and the validity period of each publication; and create conditions for publishers, distributors, and digital platforms to connect on a shared data infrastructure.

Furthermore, research should be conducted on assigning unique identifiers or traceability mechanisms to each publication to support data verification and comparison when violations are detected. This is considered a suitable approach in line with the long-term digital transformation and data governance requirements of the publishing industry. Accordingly, it is necessary to strengthen coordination between regulatory agencies and cross-border platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Telegram, and Google Play to shorten the time it takes to remove infringing content; and to research and develop a separate legal framework for electronic publications intended for children.

From a technical perspective, digital publishing businesses are gradually investing in various technological solutions to enhance their self-protection capabilities. Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology is being implemented to encrypt content, control access rights, limit the number of devices using it, and prevent unauthorized downloads. Many organizations have adopted identifying watermarks to trace the source of content; built mechanisms for managing login sessions; and used AI and Big Data to scan and detect infringing content on social media, websites, or data storage platforms.

In practice, many businesses believe that investing in technology is a mandatory requirement, but the high costs and demanding technical requirements remain a challenge for many publishers, especially small-scale ones. Experts predict that in the context of strong digital transformation, copyright data, rights management technology, and inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms will become three fundamental elements for building a more transparent and sustainable digital publishing market.

Furthermore, raising public awareness about intellectual property rights is also considered a long-term solution. Building a habit of using copyrighted publications, respecting copyright, and fostering a healthy digital consumer culture will contribute to creating a sustainable development environment for the publishing industry in the future.

MAI LU

Source: https://nhandan.vn/la-chan-so-bao-ve-ban-quyen-xuat-ban-post966410.html