Decision No. 2558/QD-BVHTTDL Emphasizes the Lead Role of the Department of Cultural Industries and Copyright in Handling Infringement of Copyright and Related Rights
10/21/2026
On 30 September 2026, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 2558/QD-BVHTTDL (“Decision 2558”) defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Department of Cultural Industries and Copyright (the “Department”). Decision 2558 takes effect from its date of signing and replaces Decision No. 693/QD-BVHTTDL dated 18 March 2025 on the same subject.
The most notable issue is that Decision 2558 emphasizes the lead role of the Department of Cultural Industries and Copyright (formerly the Copyright Office) in handling infringement of copyright and related rights.
Under the previous regulations, the Department had only a coordinating role with competent state authorities in handling violations of the law on copyright and related rights. In practice, its coordinating role with the copyright and related rights enforcement authorities was limited to providing expert opinions on infringement of copyright and related rights to those enforcement authorities. Decision 2558 has shifted the Department’s role from “coordinating” to “leading” in handling infringement of copyright and related rights. Specifically, Decision 2558 provides that the Department shall take the lead, in coordination with relevant competent state authorities, in inspecting compliance with the law, resolving complaints and denunciations, and handling infringement of copyright and related rights in accordance with the law.
Decision 2558 also provides that the Department is responsible for coordinating with competent state authorities in inspections concerning copyright and related rights in accordance with the law. Specifically, the Department has a clearer and more direct function with respect to online violations; in particular, it has the right to request intermediary service providers to remove, or block access to, digital content infringing copyright or related rights in accordance with the law.
Transferring the lead role in infringement of copyright and related rights to the Department is also consistent with the general context in which the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam has recently assumed the role of handling administrative violations of industrial property from the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Science and Technology, as Vietnam has recently restructured and streamlined its administrative management, eliminating most inspectorates within ministries.
Along with its new lead role in handling infringement of copyright and related rights, the organizational structure of the Department has also been adjusted accordingly; specifically, the Department’s “Division of Management and International Cooperation on Copyright and Related Rights” has been renamed the “Division of Copyright Management and Enforcement” to reflect this new function.
While awaiting specific guidance, it is hoped that, with the Department assuming a direct and leading role in handling infringement of copyright and related rights, the enforcement of copyright and related rights will become more focused and effective, particularly with respect to violations in the digital environment.
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