Vietnamese singer Noo Phước Thịnh hit with lawsuit over illegally-used song

HA NOI — American musician Zack Hemsey has filed a lawsuit in the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City, suing popular Vietnamese singer Noo Phuoc Thinh for using his song  The Way in Thinh’s MV Cham Khe Tim Anh Mot Chut Thoi (Touch My Heart Tenderly) without his permission.

Hemsey alleges that the MV, released in October 2017, uses a part of his song as background music from minutes 6:05 to 7:30.

The MV was deleted from YouTube and replaced by a new version that does not contain The Way; however, Hemsey claims that the old version is still exists and is being shared and accessed from different internet addresses.

The Way was released in 2011 and under the copyright of Hemsey. According to him, the Vietnamese singer has not asked for his permission to use his song. In addition to asking Thinh to erase the MV containing the part of The Way in all versions of the video, he also demands compensation of VND850 million (US$36,400) in total for financial and spiritual damages and legal fees.

A representative of Thinh confirmed the case to zing.vn and revealed that the American musician filed the lawsuit against him in 2017; however, the case has not been dealt with. The 30-year-old Vietnamese singer is working with lawyers and refuses to reveal details surrounding the lawsuit.

Cham Khe Tim Anh Mot Chut Thoi quickly gained popularity among young Vietnamese music lovers when it was released last year due to its pleasing ballad melodies and the moving stories told in the MV.

However, when its views reached nearly 30 million, the MV disappeared on YouTube due to copyright issue. Another version was uploaded instead without the use of a part of  The Way. The first version is still available on many websites.

Zack Hemsey, born in 1983, is an American composer, musician and record producer. His music has been included many famous films like Game of Thrones The Town, Lincoln and 2 Guns and the TV show America’s Got Talent. — VNS