All through the run up to overseas Vietnamese singer Khanh Ly’s show in Danang City on August 8, there were arguments about copyright issues.

Despite the fact that the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism tried to quell the problem, the argument between Vietnam Centre for Protection of Music Copyright (VCPMC) and show promoters continued until 9pm, at which point the promoters walked out of the meeting and asked security to escort VCPMC off the premises.

Heated meeting

Musician and VCPMC representative, Pho Duc Phuong, commented, “Our hand was forced in this case, in which we had to come to Khanh Ly’s live shows in Hanoi and Danang to make a complaint of copyright infringement. We had already reached an settlement of VND170 million (USD8,003) for use rights, but the organisers have yet to pay."

According to Phuong, one of the organisers, the argument centered around a request for a document with the signatures of five members of the family of the late, famous musician, Trinh Cong Son. The document provided by VCPMC only had three, as the other two were living abroad. The dispute occurred even though the other family members were willing to give their permission over the phone.

Musician Pho Duc Phuong

Van Thi Thu Bich, chief representative of the copyright protection centre in Danang said, “We’ve sent a letter to the municipal government and Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism requesting that the organisers, including the Vietnam Theatre of Contemporary Art and Dong Dao Limited Company, pay fees for usage of copyrighted material.”

Bich said that authorities in Danang have made requests to the organisers to pay the fees, but without result.

Singer Khanh Ly famous for singing Trinh Cong Son's songs

Nguyen Ngoc Son, a representative of the organisers, said, “It is our standing policy to comply with all rules and regulations concerning copyrighted material. Regarding the fees requested for use of Trinh Cong Son’s songs, there is a stipulation for the signatures of five family members. To date we have only received one, and so cannot pay.”

Son said that the organising group intends to pay all necessary fees as soon as the paperwork is in order. They have already obtained a license to legally use Trinh Cong Son's music during live shows.