Vietnam music fans upbeat at Korean dismissal of singer’s supposed copyright infringement

A meeting was held on Friday last week between representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; the Copyright Office of Vietnam; and the Departments of National Cinema and Performing Arts, as well as experts and composers regarding an alleged copyright infringement committed by emerging singer Nguyen Thanh Tung.

In mid-November this year an appraisal committee, which encompasses several revered composers, requested that the Copyright Office of Vietnam, under the culture ministry, impose a circulation ban on “Chac Ai Do Se Ve” (Maybe Someone Will Come Back) – Tung’s recently launched song – over an alleged copyright breach.

The song was used by a local film titled “Chang Trai Nam Ay” in its soundtrack. The film also features Tung, better known as Son Tung M-TP, as one of the protagonists.

According to Phan Dinh Tan, chief of the culture ministry’s office, the meeting reached a conclusion that there is no evidence to confirm Tung’s song is a stolen product.

Tung had claimed that he composed the song’s melody and lyrics while admitting the beat is not his.

The Performing Arts Department on November 21 sent a document to the deputy culture minister expressing their opinion on Tung’s “Chac Ai Do Se Ve” song.

The document cited an email sent by Kwon Woo Min, a representative of South Korea-based FNC Entertainment, who manages Korean singer Jung Yong Hwa.

The email confirmed, “though there’re similarities between Jung’s song ‘Because I Miss You’ and Tung’s song ‘Chac Ai Do Se Ve’ regarding programming and melody, we do not consider the song an instance of copyright infringement.”

Upon receipt of the email, the Performing Arts Department conducted a thorough examination, which revealed Tung’s song has clear mixing signs, while the Korean song does not.

The two songs also boast diametrically different melodies and lyrics.

The department then arrived at a conclusion that Tung’s song does not violate current regulations in Vietnam.

It added there is no legal ground to ban the circulation of Tung’s song.

The department also suggested that the culture ministry instruct relevant agencies to grant the song a circulation permit.

A large number of local fans expressed their delight at the news and confidence in Tung’s and his peer composers’ real talent and development potential.

Nguyen Manh Dinh, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Thanh District, said he was quite perplexed when Tung’s song faced a circulation ban and now feels much better that the hassle has been cleared.

A flurry of Tung’s hit songs, which are supposed to be written and performed by the 20-year-old singer, have been found using the beat and instrument combinations of Korean and Japanese music without citing the original source.

These songs include “Con Mua Ngang Qua,” “Em Cua Ngay Hom Qua,” “Nang Am Xa Dan,” and “Em Dung Di.”

Tung’s latest song, “Chac Ai Do Se Ve,” which ranked first on the list of local music sharing website Zing.vn’s most listened-to songs, has been removed and replaced by the song that previously ranked second.

“Chang Trai Nam Ay” also had its release date postponed from November 14 over the issue.

A new release date has not been confirmed by the film production company yet.