The infringement of copyright and related rights in Vietnam has occurred in various fields, with many serious cases happening on the internet and in the digital environment, an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated on May 22.

Vu Ngoc Hoan, deputy head of the ministry’s Copyright Office, pointed out the trend at an online conference on the issue among authorities of Hanoi , central Da Nang city and Ho Chi Minh City .

He reported that despite efforts to protect copyright and related rights, the infringements cover many fields, including journalism, films, music, radio, television and computer content.

The breach has affected creative activities, the investment environment, socio-economic and cultural development and international integration, Hoan noted.

In 2013, the ministry collected over 2 billion VND (about 95,200 USD) in fines from businesses for software copyright violations, and ordered three websites to remove thousands of pirated films.

It also received 60 letters of complaint on copyright disputes over 142 book editions from 25 publishing houses.

Authorities and representatives from copyright protection centres said the rampant breach is partly due to the mildness of penalties as well as a shortage of special agencies and concrete regulations.-VNA