TikTok Sued by Vietnamese Tech Firm Alleging Copyright Infringement

VNG is accusing TikTok of using audio tracks owned by Zing, a VNG subsidiary.

By Reuters | Updated: 24 August 2020 17:45 IST

TikTok Sued by Vietnamese Tech Firm Alleging Copyright Infringement

A legal document from the people's court of Ho Chi Minh City demands that it ceases use of Zing's music

Highlights

VNG is accusing TikTok of using audio tracks owned by Zing
A legal document demands that it ceases use of Zing's music
TikTok recorded 10 million users as of August in Vietnam

Vietnamese technology firm VNG is suing TikTok, the popular short-form video app, saying it does not have adequate licences for the songs being used in its videos, sources said on Monday.

VNG is accusing the Chinese-owned company of using audio tracks owned by Zing, a VNG subsidiary, without the company's consent, two sources familiar with the issue said.

A legal document from the people's court of Ho Chi Minh City seen by Reuters seeks damages from TikTok and demands that it ceases use of Zing's music.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

"VNG requests TikTok remove all music segments taken from Zing records from both the TikTok application and website, and an indemnification for damages of over VND 221 billion (roughly Rs. 70 crores)," read the document.

TikTok and VNG did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

VNG is a Vietnam-based technology firm founded in 2004, known for its online games, music streaming and messaging applications.

TikTok has soared in popularity in Vietnam, where it recorded 10 million users as of August with millions of short-clip uploads to the platform, official data showed.

But some music rights-holders say TikTok does not have adequate licences for the songs being used in its videos.

"Notably, TikTok has introduced a very complicated business model to avoid copyright compliance in Vietnam," the Vietnam Music Association said in a response to questions from Reuters.

© Thomson Reuters 2020

Should the government explain why Chinese apps were banned? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.