Vu Phi Diep, 46, a resident of Hoang Mai ward and director of Viet KTV Electronics Group Company Limited, was recently indicted by the Economic Police Department of Hanoi City Police. He faces charges of infringing copyright and related rights, as per clause 2, article 225 of the Penal Code.

Police stated that Diep had not entered into any copyright agreements. Instead, he instructed technical staff to copy musical works from various digital platforms. He then processed these into karaoke data, converting them into a proprietary format for integration into VietKTV-branded devices.

The data was stored on a cloud computing system and a 4TB original hard drive. Diep then copied it onto karaoke players or integrated screen players before market release. Products without hard drives allowed users to download songs free from a pre-connected online system.

The indictment alleges that between 2023 and June 2026, Viet KTV distributed 919 products, generating an illicit profit of approximately 852 million dong. A review of over 41,000 data files by the Vietnam Center for Protection of Music Copyright (VCPMC) initially identified around 1,500 musical works under its management that were illegally exploited. This activity resulted in estimated damages of about 600 million dong.

Mr. Vu Phi Diep, director of Viet KTV Electronics Group. *Photo: Viet KTV*.

Hanoi police confirmed that Diep admitted his actions. This case serves as a warning to organizations and individuals exploiting digital technology to infringe intellectual property for illicit gain.

Diep founded Viet KTV Electronics Group. The company positions itself as a leader in hard drive karaoke solutions in Vietnam. In 2008, it launched Vietnam's first karaoke player with an integrated 500Gb hard drive.

Viet KTV advertises over 25 nationwide warranty centers and more than 100 sales agent systems, offering an unlimited number of songs with over 150 new tracks monthly. Diep previously expressed ambitions to apply AI technology in song storage and selection to meet customer demands.

Under current legal regulations, the maximum annual copyright fee for a business can reach 20,24 million dong. The Vietnam Center for Protection of Music Copyright (VCPMC) and the Recording Industry Association of Vietnam (RIAV) collect this revenue.

VCPMC currently protects the rights of over 7,700 domestic artists. It is also an official member of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), managing millions of international works in Vietnam through bilateral agreements.

According to Article 38 of Decree 341/2025/ND-CP, failure to pay business copyright fees incurs a fine of 10-40 million dong. VCPMC collaborates with authorities for oversight, but does not directly impose penalties.