Blackpink's concert in Hanoi could be revoked due to copyright issues. Photo: IME's Twitter

HÀ NỘI — The VCPMC made an announcement on Thursday, saying it had asked the Hà Nội People’s Committee and Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports to revoke the license of the popular South Korean girl group’s concert due to the organizers’ failure to obtain copyright permission and pay royalties.

Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports said that they would investigate the matter further.

The conflict arose when the Korea Music Copy Right Association (KOMCA) reached out to VCPMC on July 21, urging them to intervene in the unauthorised use of copyrighted music works from the band's concert in Việt Nam. KOMCA holds an agreement with VCPMC, providing the latter with the authority to license the public performance in Vietnam of all works by KOMCA’s member authors.

KOMCA explicitly stated that if the necessary music copyright licenses were not obtained prior to the concert, the IME Music Company, the organiser of Blackpink’s concert, should refrain from performing any music from KOMCA's portfolio.

On the morning of July 27th, VCPMC received an email from Phạm Tâm, the Project Manager of IME Company, expressing gratitude for VCPMC's proactive approach in contacting and supporting IME Vietnam to ensure compliance with music copyright laws.

However, IME Music Company claimed that they were facing difficulties in obtaining an agreement with the band's management company, YG Entertainment, which holds the copyrights to the songs performed by BLACKPINK. IME Vietnam has assured that they are willing to cover the cost of song copyright, in accordance with Vietnamese law. They proposed obtaining authorisation or permission to use the song copyright specifically for the capital's event and will seek VCPMC's guidance in this process.

The famous Korean girl group is scheduled to perform in Hà Nôi this weekend. This concert is part of their world tour Born Pink. Photo The Standard

“IME has organised concerts in many countries around the world and fulfilled copyright obligations in those countries, but when it comes to Việt Nam, they said that the songs in the concert are copyrighted by YG Entertainment. Why could they fulfil copyright obligations in other countries but failed to do so in Việt Nam?” said a representative of VCPMC’s Legal Department in response.

VCPMC confirmed that, so far, IME has not fulfilled its copyright obligations according to the established working procedures between the two parties. It should be noted that all 13 works approved under document No. 2438/SVHTT-QLNT by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports are under the protection of VCPMC through bilateral contracts with various organisations, with 12 of the works belonging to members of KOMCA.

VCPMC strongly condemned IME's copyright infringement and emphasised the need for strict legal measures to prevent violations of music copyright laws, particularly during a time when Việt Nam is actively integrating with the global community.

As the controversy unfolds, preparations for the concert are in full swing as concert facilities, including the stage, sound system and seats for the audience, have been set up and are currently undergoing final touches for completion. Fans and music enthusiasts are closely following for more updates on the issue. VNS

Preparations for the concert are in the final stage, ready to welcome more than 60,000 fans during the two days of the concert. Photo Vietnamnet.vn