Protecting music copyright: A thorny journey
More than 20 years ago, creative copyright ownership in Vietnam was still new, with many common forms of infringement, such as creating derivative works without permission or using pirated goods.
According to Julie Siefkas's 2002 study, the rate of copyright infringement in Vietnam is higher than any other country, with nearly 100% of items, such as books, music CDs, and software being infringed. This has a major impact on the development of the country's creative and entertainment industries.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Vietnam tried to tighten its laws to protect copyright, but the initial regulations were still limited, leading to widespread infringements. In 2005, the Intellectual Property Law was enacted as a major step forward, helping to regulate intellectual property rights more clearly and promote international integration, thereby opening a turning point for the Vietnamese copyright industry. Thence, the law has been amended many times, contributing to improving the effectiveness of copyright protection, especially in the music field, achieving remarkable results.
However, the digital environment brings many new challenges. After the gradual reduction of piracy, more sophisticated forms of infringement, such as content distribution over the internet have increased, especially heavily affecting music with an infringement rate of up to 76.9% according to a 2022 study. Technologies, such as Content ID, Fingerprinting help control content, but the cost is high and accessibility is limited. The government has updated the law to require intermediary service providers to censor, monitor and handle violations, contributing to improving the effectiveness of intellectual property protection in the digital age.