Methods used to distribute pirated books.

TPO - A report from the Vietnam Publishers Association and relevant authorities indicates that, as of early 2026, the rate of copyright infringement in various forms of published works is very high.

Publishing houses lose up to 30% of their revenue due to book piracy.

With the development of the digital environment, copyright infringement in the publishing industry is increasingly shifting from traditional printed books to the online environment, becoming more sophisticated and complex.

According to a report by the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution, survey data from 2023 shows that copyright infringement in the online publishing sector is not only a technological issue but also involves issues of evidence, coordinated handling, and the responsibility of intermediary platforms.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao - Deputy Director of the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution - speaks at the Conference. Photo: Thuong Nguyen.

At the conference to disseminate and implement solutions in accordance with the Prime Minister 's directive No. 38/CĐ-TTg on the publishing/distribution of electronic publications, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao - Deputy Director of the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution - stated that individuals are exploiting social networks, fan pages, mobile applications, cross-border platforms and e-commerce platforms to distribute or trade pirated books.

In terms of tactics, anonymous accounts on social media not only upload and share illegal electronic files but also organize live broadcasts to read the entire content of books, or conduct "reviews" that are actually publicizing the entire content of published works.

According to reports from the Vietnam Publishers Association and relevant authorities, by early 2026, the rate of copyright infringement in various forms of publications was very high. It is estimated that the digital content industry in Vietnam, including the digital publishing sector, suffers losses of approximately 7 trillion VND annually due to copyright infringement in the digital environment.

Some organizations have reported that revenue could decrease by 20-30% due to the illegal distribution of electronic publications online.

The 'wounds' of businesses

At the conference, representatives from Waka E-book Joint Stock Company shared several cases of combating copyright infringement in the digital environment, thereby highlighting lessons learned.

In the first case, several series exclusively released on the Waka.vn platform were copied entirely and illegally uploaded to YouTube. After discovering the infringement, the company proactively notified the owner of the infringing channel and reported the copyright violation according to YouTube's processing mechanism. The infringing content was subsequently removed within a short time.

In another case, a free online reading website illegally used the title, cover image, and synopsis of a work published on Waka.vn to generate traffic through search engine optimization (SEO), then redirected users to copyrighted content.

Waka has submitted a request to address the infringement, but because the website's servers are located overseas, the processing time has been prolonged, and the effectiveness of the crackdown has not been complete.

Based on practical cases, this unit emphasizes that addressing copyright infringement in the digital environment, especially cross-border violations, requires a rapid and effective coordination mechanism between businesses, state management agencies, and intermediary platforms.

Ms. Ngo Thi Ly, representative of Alpha Book Joint Stock Company, proposed solutions to prevent copyright infringement. Photo: Phuong Linh.

Mr. Do Nhu Quach - CEO of Vietec Corp - recalled the "wound" the company suffered when implementing a program to help children aged 3-6 become familiar with standard international English, but the content was copied or stolen, then illegally disseminated, reducing the demand for copyrighted content among many people.

Based on this situation, representatives of businesses proposed that the Vietnam Publishers Association research the establishment of a Copyright Center in the publishing sector to support copyright verification, traceability, and coordinated handling of infringements. Simultaneously, they suggested building a coordination mechanism between the Vietnam Publishers Association, publishers, printers, distributors, digital platforms, and authors in establishing copyright data, tracing origins, and handling infringements.

Ms. Ngo Thi Ly, representative of Alpha Book Joint Stock Company, proposed building a "notification and removal" mechanism for copyright infringement content in the digital environment, aiming to shorten processing time and increase the responsibility of digital platforms to cooperate.

Copyright infringement in the publishing industry is showing a strong shift from traditional printed books to the online environment.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao, Deputy Director of the Department of Publishing, Printing and Distribution, to effectively implement Directive No. 38/CD-TTg, the publishing industry needs to continue investing in and developing a technology platform for protecting digital copyrights; and promote "make in Vietnam" solutions for data management and tracing violations.

At the same time, strengthen inter-agency coordination mechanisms between state management agencies, cybersecurity agencies, technology companies, telecommunications companies, and intermediary platforms to quickly detect and handle violations in the digital environment.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/thu-doan-phat-tan-sach-lau-post1845344.tpo