A huge number of websites and social networks operate on the internet, including cross-border social networks such as Facebook and YouTube. The web news and social networks transmit a great volume of press information, digital content, and video clips to millions of internet users. 

This includes information content stored and published illegally, which doesn’t observe regulations on copyright exchange with content copyright owners, thus causing losses to benefits and the reputation of content owners.

ABEI has recently received many complaints and requests to punish content copyright infringement behaviors, mostly entertainment content, such as football, films, game shows and music.

Pham Hoang Hai, director of the Center for Testing of Broadcasting, Television and Electronic Information (CTBTEI), said the copyright infringement in the digital environment occurs in the open air on various platforms, while infringed content belonging to digital content producers are broadcast and published on mass media, thereby causing damage to content owners.

The most common copyright infringement behaviors are livestreaming on social networks or websites; or copying 100 percent of the broadcast content, or cutting, grafting and editing parts of content in broadcast videos and then publishing illegally on the internet.

The content in violation is used illegally on many different platforms, including websites and OTT apps licensed by the state; websites with domain names registered and servers located overseas; illegal OTT apps shared on the internet, or installed via Android TV Box; and popular social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

In June, CTBTEI joined forces with appropriate agencies to block the access of users in Vietnam to over 800 websites that infringed copyright.

A report from Media Partners Asia said Vietnam’s online video industry is forecast to create revenue of $249 million by 2022, of which revenue from subscribers will account for 15 percent and AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) 85 percent.

Online video piracy is increasingly common with the number of unauthorized users increasing to 15.5 million by 2022, causing a loss of $348 million, accounting for 18 percent of the revenue of the entire legal video industry. 

If the situation cannot be controlled, by 2027, the number of pirated users may climb to 19.5 million, resulting in the possible loss of $456 million in revenue.

Controlling the copyright infringement will help increase the value thanks to the increase in number of legal clients and in revenue of the high-end online video, possibly doubling the value of investment in domestic online video content to $150 million by 2027 (the current figure is estimated at $75 million).

Tien Dung