It will be difficult to fully resolve the issue of piracy of television broadcasts without the co-operation of users and the active support of the authorities, said experts at a workshop in Ha Noi on Wednesday.

The workshop, titled “Protection of broadcasters’ rights in the digital environment”, was co-organised by the Copyright Office of Viet Nam (COV), K+ Satellite Digital Television and the Korea Copyright Commission (KCC).

The workshop was held in order to raise awareness of the need for observance of legal provisions on the protection of copyright and related rights, including the rights of broadcasting organizations, and to work out effective solutions to increase the efficiency of anti-piracy in the digital environment.

Viet Nam has a legal system meeting the requirements of copyright protection and related rights in the country and international integration. The country’s commitments to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and international treaties in force in Viet Nam have been gradually and effectively implemented, protecting the interests of citizens and fulfilling legal obligations when using the work of citizens and legal entities of member countries.

Nguyen Quang Dong, head of the Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development (IPS), said that violations on the internet were always more complicated and caused damage faster than traditional behavior, because the violations can more quickly reach a larger audience.

Therefore, technology to detect and handle violations needed to be applied more widely, he said. "The responsibility of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) businesses needs to be enhanced."

In addition, revenue from illegal advertisements should also be blocked, he noted, by publishing the list of infringing websites and notifying the advertisement agencies to set up a black list.

Vincent Helluy, a representative of Canal+ Group, shared some experiences at the workshop including dealing with Vietnamese online newspaper publishing links and tips to watch sport games illegally, illegal live streams on social media platforms and illicit links on search engines. He also discussed the issues of overseas providers of infringing content and addressing complex issues via regional and global content protection alliances.

He also suggested related sides initiate legal proceedings in a singular context and advocate for the most appropriate legal framework to protect intellectual property rights. — VNS