A professional body is needed to protect property rights for films madein the country, the head of the Vietnam Cinematography Association hassaid.
"The country's film industry needs to have anorganisation similar to the Vietnam Centre for Protection of MusicCopyright, which came into being 10 years ago," People's Artist DangXuan Hai told a recent workshop on copyrights in the film industry inHanoi.
The one-day workshop was organised by theassociation following Decree 131/2013/ND-CP on the punishment ofadministrative violations of copyright and related rights.
The decree, which took effect on December 14, regulates that anyindividual or organisation that infringes upon the copyright of moviesand TV series will be fined 250 million VND (12,000 USD) and 500 millionVND (24,000 USD), respectively.
According to DeputyGeneral Director of the culture ministry's Copyright Office Pham ThiKim Oanh, the lack of public awareness about copyright laws in Vietnamwas the reason copyright violations are continuing to occur.
"Some individuals and organisations intentionally infringe, eventhough they understand the scope of their rights and duty," she said.
Agreeing with Oanh, People's Artist and noted directorDang Nhat Minh chipped in, saying: "None of the sectors in the arts andliterature areas have to witness the open and widespread violations ofcopyrights as does the film industry."
"The musicsector has found a way to protect their copyright, but the cinema sectorhasn't," the director of "Dung dot" (Don't burn) said.
"It's a headache for the industry workers. We make films, butsometimes we don't even know where or when our films are screened. Thecurrent regulations seem to protect investors rather than theproducers."
This has become such a serious issue that this workshop was the third held during the final months of the year.
A newly-released film is promptly uploaded illegally onto the internetfor the public and those seeking profits through advertisements,reported the The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) newspaper.
Further, as soon as an imported feature movies arescreened in the cinemas, DVDs of the movie are immediately put on saleon open markets or by street vendors, the newspaper wrote.
"We pour a huge amount of money into importing movies. It's reallydangerous if the violation continues," said Nguyen Van Nghiem, CEO fromthe Studio A Film Co.
"Meanwhile, many localfilmmakers have to mortgage their vehicles and homes to make films. Iftheir works are reproduced, they would feel heart-broken."
According to high-technology company CNC, Vietnam recorded 33 millioninternet users, while about 14 million users watched online videos in2012.
"We lose hundreds of billion of dong each yearin music, cinema and television – too high as compared to 40 billionVND (1.9 million USD) we earned from copyright payments in music lastyear," CNC representative Dao Viet Dung said.
Therefore, Oanh from the culture ministry's Copyright Office stressedthe newly-created document was meant to stop the piracy, creating alegal corridor for the protection of copyright in the cinema industrythrough specific regulations and punitive tools.-VNA
"The country's film industry needs to have anorganisation similar to the Vietnam Centre for Protection of MusicCopyright, which came into being 10 years ago," People's Artist DangXuan Hai told a recent workshop on copyrights in the film industry inHanoi.
The one-day workshop was organised by theassociation following Decree 131/2013/ND-CP on the punishment ofadministrative violations of copyright and related rights.
The decree, which took effect on December 14, regulates that anyindividual or organisation that infringes upon the copyright of moviesand TV series will be fined 250 million VND (12,000 USD) and 500 millionVND (24,000 USD), respectively.
According to DeputyGeneral Director of the culture ministry's Copyright Office Pham ThiKim Oanh, the lack of public awareness about copyright laws in Vietnamwas the reason copyright violations are continuing to occur.
"Some individuals and organisations intentionally infringe, eventhough they understand the scope of their rights and duty," she said.
Agreeing with Oanh, People's Artist and noted directorDang Nhat Minh chipped in, saying: "None of the sectors in the arts andliterature areas have to witness the open and widespread violations ofcopyrights as does the film industry."
"The musicsector has found a way to protect their copyright, but the cinema sectorhasn't," the director of "Dung dot" (Don't burn) said.
"It's a headache for the industry workers. We make films, butsometimes we don't even know where or when our films are screened. Thecurrent regulations seem to protect investors rather than theproducers."
This has become such a serious issue that this workshop was the third held during the final months of the year.
A newly-released film is promptly uploaded illegally onto the internetfor the public and those seeking profits through advertisements,reported the The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) newspaper.
Further, as soon as an imported feature movies arescreened in the cinemas, DVDs of the movie are immediately put on saleon open markets or by street vendors, the newspaper wrote.
"We pour a huge amount of money into importing movies. It's reallydangerous if the violation continues," said Nguyen Van Nghiem, CEO fromthe Studio A Film Co.
"Meanwhile, many localfilmmakers have to mortgage their vehicles and homes to make films. Iftheir works are reproduced, they would feel heart-broken."
According to high-technology company CNC, Vietnam recorded 33 millioninternet users, while about 14 million users watched online videos in2012.
"We lose hundreds of billion of dong each yearin music, cinema and television – too high as compared to 40 billionVND (1.9 million USD) we earned from copyright payments in music lastyear," CNC representative Dao Viet Dung said.
Therefore, Oanh from the culture ministry's Copyright Office stressedthe newly-created document was meant to stop the piracy, creating alegal corridor for the protection of copyright in the cinema industrythrough specific regulations and punitive tools.-VNA
