In a joint press release on Monday, the Premier League and Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment announced Vietnam’s first-ever online piracy conviction, marking a significant milestone. The revelation, accompanied by comments attributed to a government official in local media, came as a surprise. Acknowledging Vietnam’s manga piracy issue, which reportedly inflicts “hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to copyright owners,” represents a notable stride forward in addressing intellectual property rights violations.
The joint press release issued by the Premier League and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) on Monday sparked immediate interest due to its unusual timing and content.
The release announced Vietnam’s first-ever online piracy conviction, a significant development given the country’s history of such cases disappearing without consequence.
Le Hai Nam, identified as the operator of BestBuyIPTV, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 months in prison, along with a monetary penalty. However, the court suspended the entire sentence, raising questions about the severity of the punishment relative to the scale of the infringement.
The legal process leading to this conviction spanned four years, highlighting the perseverance required in combating online piracy. BestBuyIPTV, like many similar services, operated with significant subscriber numbers, suggesting substantial revenue generation.
Vietnam’s acknowledgment of its manga piracy problem, which causes “hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to copyright owners,” represents a significant step forward. Pham Hoang Hai, director of the Radio, Television, and Electronic Information Testing Center, highlighted the scale of copyright violations, including football match streaming and manga piracy.
While the conviction and comments from local officials signal progress, the fight against online piracy remains ongoing. Nevertheless, any steps taken in the right direction hold significant value in Vietnam’s battle against intellectual property rights violations.
