Tightening control over intellectual property rights violations.

The Ministry of Science and Technology reported that as of May 30, 2026, authorities had detected over 2,000 cases showing signs of intellectual property rights violations. This is a pressing issue today.

The investigative police agency of Hung Yen province has issued a decision to initiate a criminal case and prosecute suspects related to the "Xoi Lac TV" system, involving an amount of nearly 1,000 billion VND. - Photo: screenshot - CAO NGUYEN

To gradually curb this situation, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung has just requested ministries, sectors, and localities to continue launching a new intensive campaign to review the situation and focus on more decisively combating acts of intellectual property infringement.

Copyright infringement remains rampant.

According to Tuoi Tre newspaper , although the XoilacTV system in Vietnam has been shut down by authorities, its "octopus tentacles" are still operating brazenly online.

For example, the website xoilacztu.tv (which frequently changes its domain name extension to things like ztu, zccz, zzgzz... to evade authorities) is a prime and direct example of the serious problem of sports broadcasting copyright infringement currently occurring.

Over the past period, this website has continued to illegally broadcast live major football tournaments with commercial broadcasting rights worth millions of dollars, such as the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Serie A, La Liga, as well as national team matches.

This system uses techniques to "steal" live broadcast signals from official domestic and international television stations to stream illegally on its website. Users simply access the website, find the match they want to watch, and can easily watch it live.

Not only did this system blatantly "steal" broadcast signals, but it also arbitrarily used the logos, images, and proprietary graphic designs of tournaments and mainstream television stations to insert into its broadcast interface without the owner's approval.

The website also continues to be heavily infiltrated with banners and pop-up advertisements for online gambling, betting, and illegal card game websites.

Similar to the Xoi Lac football piracy network, the phimmoichill website system (with domain name variations such as phimmoichill.movie, phimmoichill.co, phimmoichillv.com...) is one of the largest hubs for film and television copyright infringement in Vietnam today.

The copyright infringement activities of this website and related sites are carried out systematically by using automated tools to scan and extract high-quality video content from copyrighted streaming platforms (such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Go, VieON, FPT Play).

As soon as an exclusive film is uploaded to the mainstream platform, or a blockbuster movie is released digitally, the website's technical team will download it, add the "Phimmoichill" logo to the video, and stream it publicly for free.

According to Tuổi Trẻ 's investigation, this website does not operate independently but is usually part of a network that shares a common data repository with dozens of other pirated movie websites such as bình minh phim, phimmoi, motphim, fullphim...

When a domain name is blocked by Vietnamese network providers, the system administration team only takes a few minutes to transfer all the interface data to a new domain name (for example, changing the extension to .net, .site, .tv...). This system uses large Facebook fan pages or Telegram channels to update the new address for the "audience".

In the music industry, the digital environment makes sharing audio and video files too easy, leading to the abuse of commercial exploitation without the author's permission. The unauthorized use of background music is openly seen in short videos on TikTok, Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts for sales or advertising revenue.

Furthermore, the unauthorized "remixing" and "lofi versions" of popular songs without the consent of the singer, songwriter, or copyright holder is rampant...

Source: Ministry of Science and Technology - Graphics: Tuan Anh

Experts recommend a series of solutions.

Speaking to Tuổi Trẻ newspaper , Mr. Nguyen Quang Dong, Director of the Institute for Policy and Media Development Research (IPS), said that the digital content industry is currently divided into many segments such as game production, online content publishing, news reporting, online books, etc.

The shift of activities from the physical world to cyberspace has also led to a greater prevalence of copyright and intellectual property infringement.

This shift in trends has been ongoing for over 10 years, and copyright and intellectual property infringement is causing significant damage to producers, copyright holders, and authors. For example, there's the issue of pirated films on sites like phimmoi.net, copyright infringement of sports content by the xoilac channel, copyright infringement of works by vnthuquan, and copyright infringement on podcast platforms when converting content into audiobooks...

"It's clear that copyright infringement has been a persistent problem for many years, along with the explosion of digital technology," Mr. Dong emphasized.

Legally, according to Mr. Dong, the Intellectual Property Law was enacted quite early and has undergone several amendments; the most recent amendment in 2025 updated and adapted to new trends. The legal framework, from laws and decrees to circulars, has followed global trends, but Vietnam's weakness lies in the weak enforcement of regulations on intellectual property protection.

Recently, many blatant acts of copyright infringement of the English Premier League, such as the Xoilac channel, have been prosecuted by the police.

Besides this case, many illegal movie streaming channels nowadays also show signs of stealing copyrights from producers to gain illicit profits. The money to sustain these illegal channels comes from various illegal business activities including sports betting, fraud, usury, and the dark web.

However, according to Mr. Dong, whether we handle copyright and intellectual property infringement through administrative or criminal measures, it is necessary to ensure compensation for damages to individuals and organizations whose copyrights have been stolen. Criminal measures will increase deterrence for infringing individuals and organizations, while administrative measures usually involve fines paid to the State.

According to Mr. Vo Xuan Hoai, Deputy Director of the National Innovation Center (NIC, Ministry of Finance), the situation of copyright infringement, especially copyright infringement in the digital space, in recent times is partly due to the lack of a comprehensive legal framework for protecting intellectual property rights.

In addition, lax enforcement of intellectual property rights protection laws is also a contributing factor.

"For example, many people are not yet familiar with using licensed versions of Word on their computers, and sometimes they tend to overlook it so that everyone can use it. But in the coming period, as we integrate more deeply, everyone will have to get used to using licensed software. To protect copyright, countries have common commitments regarding intellectual property in the digital environment," Mr. Hoai said.

To effectively protect intellectual property rights in the digital space, Mr. Hoai suggested that it is necessary to research and supplement mechanisms and financial sanctions that are sufficiently deterrent to individuals and organizations that illegally copy and distribute digital content for profit.

Furthermore, coordination is needed among enforcement agencies such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and businesses owning digital platforms to quickly address copyright infringements in cyberspace.

Secondly, it is necessary to apply technology to protect copyright, using technology to identify copyrighted digital content, especially applying AI to detect copyright infringements in cyberspace.

AI can quickly detect copyright infringements from videos, images, and manipulated text content, as well as other copyright violations online. Furthermore, businesses, organizations, and individuals need to apply blockchain technology to verify copyrights in the online space.

Thirdly, stronger accountability needs to be assigned to digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, etc. Accordingly, regulations should be added requiring these platforms to proactively detect, cooperate with authorities, and handle copyright and intellectual property infringements, instead of merely reacting when complaints arise.

Most infringing content on these platforms is currently only addressed upon complaint, even though these platforms are fully capable of detecting copyright infringements immediately.

Finally, according to Mr. Hoai, copyright should also be bought and sold at reasonable prices to encourage access for the majority of people and businesses.

All kinds of copyright infringement

Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper , lawyer Phan Vu Tuan from Phan Law office said that in the context of the current strong development of performing arts and digital content exploitation, the infringement of copyright and related rights in live music programs and live shows is quite common and is becoming increasingly complex.

Common copyright and related rights infringements frequently occurring in live music programs and live shows include: using musical works for public performance without the permission of the copyright owner; copying, recording, filming, and transmitting performances to the public through digital platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, or livestreaming without permission; illegally exploiting audio recordings, video recordings, arrangements, and performances of artists; and adapting, remixing, or covering works without the permission of the copyright holder.

These actions are common nowadays, and unless they fall under legally permissible exceptions, they all constitute infringements of the property rights of authors, copyright owners, and related rights holders as stipulated in Articles 20, 29, 30, and 35 of the current Intellectual Property Law.

Copyright infringement negatively impacts the investment environment.

An expert from the Ministry of Finance stated that in the current foreign investment attraction strategy, the Government is promoting the attraction of high-tech FDI into strategic technology sectors such as AI, big data, digital cloning, semiconductor chip technology, energy technology, and advanced materials... therefore, protecting intellectual property rights is a decisive factor in attracting FDI investors to bring capital and technology to Vietnam.

"High-tech investors from the US, Europe, and Japan are particularly interested in copyright and intellectual property rights. Therefore, if we handle intellectual property and copyright infringements effectively, it will increase the attractiveness of high-tech FDI investors," this person said.

In recent times, intellectual property infringement has directly impacted the investment environment in Vietnam. Some investors want to open a R&D center with 2,000-3,000 engineers but are hesitant because a domestic company has been infringing on their patents.

"If we don't handle intellectual property rights violations well, it will be very difficult to attract high-tech FDI in the future," this person asserted.

Handling intellectual property infringements from the perspective of different countries.

Starting in January 2026, the South Korean government approved amendments to the Copyright Law and the Performing Arts Law to prohibit "black market" ticket sales and the distribution of illegal content. - Photo: TTD

In Asia, Singapore is one of the countries with the strictest legal frameworks regarding intellectual property rights. Singapore's current Copyright Law stipulates that an individual can be fined between US$7,800 and US$78,000 or sentenced to up to five years in prison if convicted of copying copyrighted works for sale, or selling such copyrighted works.

According to the legal information website Lexology, the Singapore High Court in February 2025 ordered internet service providers to block 22 illegal streaming websites and 70 related domains, including sites that illegally streamed football, movies, and television programs.

The Singapore court order was issued at the request of members of the Coalition Against Copyright Infringement (CAP) – comprising BBC Studios, the Premier League, beIN Sports, LaLiga, Canal+ International, DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, and LaLiga. These major players joined forces to take action against a number of popular websites for distributing premium content without permission.

This is a prime example of success in the Lion City's fight against copyright infringement. Over the past decade, Singapore has actively combated copyright infringement and achieved significant results, with hundreds of illegal websites being shut down.

In Japan, since 2021, the country has been gradually amending its Copyright Law and related regulations to address copyright infringement and modern intellectual property laws. These amendments clearly stipulate that the unauthorized streaming and distribution of copyrighted content can lead to criminal prosecution.

In addition, Tokyo has also empowered courts to order the blocking of websites that infringe copyright abroad.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, the government in January 2026 passed amendments to the Copyright Law, the Performing Arts Law, and the National Sports Promotion Law to prohibit the sale of tickets on the "black market" and the unauthorized distribution of the country's content.

This move has paved the way for stricter enforcement against behaviors that South Korea views as a major threat to the country's cultural industry, according to The Star.

South Korea's revised Copyright Law has added an "emergency website blocking" mechanism, allowing authorities to immediately block access to copyright-infringing websites if the infringement is determined to be clear and likely to cause irreparable damage.

In addition, the amended law stipulates that punishable offenses also include operating websites that provide links to pirated content for commercial purposes, as well as posting those links for profit. The penalties have also increased from 5 years to 7 years imprisonment, and from $33,000 to $65,000.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/siet-vi-pham-quyen-so-huu-tri-tue-20260604081458574.htm