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The Vietnam Center for Protection of Music Copyrights (VCPMC) has stated that they have sent a letter requesting the revocation of the performance license for the music group BlackPink (from South Korea) in Hanoi.
Update, the BlackPink show has successfully reached an agreement on copyright fees with VCPMC.
On July 28th, following a meeting involving relevant authorities, IME Vietnam and VCPMC reached an agreement on the copyright fees for the two concerts of the BlackPink music group.
Mr. Pham Dinh Tam, the representative of IME Vietnam, disclosed that the cost figure is “much lower” compared to VCPMC’s initial proposal, which was over 11 billion Vietnamese dong, inclusive of taxes.
Initially, IME Vietnam did not agree with the copyright fee suggested by VCPMC, as it was an excessively high amount, surpassing the figures proposed for similar events in other countries in the region where the Born Pink shows were held.
However, with the agreement now reached, the BlackPink concerts will proceed as planned at My Dinh Stadium!
See more:
- https://vtc.vn/btc-concert-cua-blackpink-chua-dong-tac-quyen-show-co-the-bi-ngung-dien-ar808751.html
This request was made because IME Music Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as IME – the organizing unit of the performance) has seriously violated the copyrights and has acted against the commitments with VCPMC and the directions given by the relevant authorities of Vietnam before the event took place.
According to the organizers, Hanoi is the final stop in Asia for BlackPink’s global concert series “Born Pink.”
As per VCPMC, the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) has always considered VCPMC as an important partner. On July 21st, KOMCA sent a letter to VCPMC to confirm and request VCPMC’s cooperation in preventing copyright infringement of KOMCA member’s musical works during BlackPink’s performances in Vietnam.
KOMCA also sent letters to Mr. Dang Dinh Tam, Chairman of IME, and Mr. Lim Kean Hwa, Director of IME. In the letters, KOMCA reaffirmed the delegation of exclusive rights to VCPMC as agreed upon in the bilateral agreement between KOMCA and VCPMC signed on May 1st, 2009.
According to the agreement, KOMCA granted VCPMC exclusive rights to license public performances of all musical works in KOMCA’s repertoire performed within VCPMC’s territory, including but not limited to works composed by KOMCA’s member authors. At this time, VCPMC is the sole entity in Vietnam to be granted such rights.
KOMCA also expressed their standpoint: “In case the music copyright license is not granted before the performance, KOMCA requests that IME stop performing musical works in KOMCA’s repertoire.”
VCPMC mentioned that when they received information about BlackPink’s tour in Hanoi at the end of July, they contacted IME to request the proper authorization and payment of copyright fees in accordance with the laws on copyright.
However, as of July 19th, IME had not fulfilled their copyright obligations. On July 21st, the relevant authorities of Vietnam also held a meeting with all three parties to address the existing issues.
VCPMC emphasized: “To ensure the rights and interests of authors – the owners of the works, and in principle, to respect the mutual cooperation commitments between VCPMC and KOMCA, along with the final warning letter that KOMCA sent to IME, VCPMC requests the state management agencies to revoke BlackPink’s performance license organized by IME because they have seriously violated the copyrights and acted against the commitments made with VCPMC and the directions given by the relevant authorities of Vietnam before the event took place.”
According to VCPMC, on the morning of July 27th, they received an email from a person named Pham Tam, the Project Manager of IME, stating: “Up to this point, we have not reached an agreement with the artist management company regarding the copyright issue, as all the songs in the program belong to the copyright of YG Company, the unit providing the performers.”
IME Vietnam agrees to pay the song copyright fees and comply with Vietnamese law. If during the process, IME Vietnam can provide an authorization/permission to use the song copyright in Hanoi, they would ask VCPMC for guidance to proceed accordingly.
In response to this email, VCPMC sent a letter with specific contents. First, until the current time, IME has not fulfilled their copyright obligations as per the agreed-upon process.
Second, all thirteen works in accordance with Approval Document No. 2438/SVHTT-QLNT of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Hanoi fall within the protection scope of VCPMC through a bilateral contract with some representative organizations of authors’ rights; of which, twelve works belong to KOMCA members.
VCPMC also raised the issue that BlackPink are artists who have performed in many countries worldwide and have fulfilled their copyright obligations in those countries. So, why not in Vietnam?
According to VCPMC: “The act of copyright infringement by IME needs to be condemned and strictly dealt with according to the law to prevent violations of music copyright laws during performances, especially during Vietnam’s current period of integration with the world.”
It is worth noting that BlackPink’s shows in Hanoi are scheduled to take place on July 29th and 30th at the My Dinh National Stadium.
