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Contemplation: Music by late composer Trinh Cong Son, above, has been highly popular with students and young people. His younger sister has asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for help to stop unauthorised use of his music. — File Photo |
HCM CITY — A younger sister of late composer Trinh Cong Son has sent a letter to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, asking that it help put an end to the unauthorised use of Son's music.
Trinh Vinh Trinh said she had been entrusted by the family to protect the intellectual property rights of the celebrated composer who died 10 years ago.
Son's music, most of which he wrote in the 1960s and 1970s, is highly popular with students and young people.
Three years ago, Trinh, on behalf of Son's family, asked music concerts, bars and music clubs that used Son's music to pay copyright fees.
However, most concerts have not paid fees to Son's family.
"The unauthorised use of Son's music has been going on for a long time, which has prompted us to raise our voice," she said.
"We want to collect copyright fees for Son's music to have money to set up Trinh Cong Son Fund to assist young talented artists at Son's will."
Many music concerts have been organised in Ha Noi and HCM City to mark Son's 10th death anniversary this year.
"Of these, only Ru Tinh (Lullaby to Love) concert bought the rights to perform Son's songs," Trinh said.
"Son's music copyright fees may reach VND1 billion (US$50,000) a year, the highest for any composers in Viet Nam," said Pho Duc Phuong, director of the Viet Nam Centre for Protection of Music Copyright.
"As a composer, I understand the difficult problems faced by Son's family as his music copyright has been violated publicly and more often," Phuong said.
According to Phuong, Son's family has not signed a contract with the centre, which has been entrusted by more than 1,000 songwriters and composers to collect royalty fees from those who use their materials.
"Son's family has called music concert organisers about the copyright violations, but few of them are ready to buy a copyright for the use of his music," Phuong said. — VNS