Missed royalties: Actor Phuong Tran, of the HCM City-based Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theatre, performs on stage. A new website that acts as a transaction agency for copyright deals, to be open early next month, is expected to further protect and promote local writers and performers. — File Photo

HCM CITY (VNS)— Rampant copyright violations have long been a thorn in the side of Vietnamese authors who often miss out on valuable royalties because of counterfeit goods.

But a new website that acts as a transaction floor for copyright deals to be open early this month is expected to further protect and promote local writers and performers.

Trieu Trung Kien, director of the Viet Nam Cai Luong (Reformed Opera) Theatre, said the site would be a venue through which copyrights can be issued on various artistic works, including theatre and film scripts.

At the website, www.chokich.vn, anyone who wants to sell or use works commercially can view documents that include information and addresses of the creators or owners.

Buyers can sign copyright deals and pay fees to the composers, writers, filmmakers and other performers.

"Vietnamese involved in the performing arts can be sure that the entertainment industry will offer something new as it diversifies and grows," said Kien, owner of the website. He said the industry had made remarkable achievements in copyright protection since 2005, when the Law on Intellectual Property Rights was passed.

"But our entertainment companies still run into problems trying to cope with the new law," said Kien. "They have found it hard to make copyright payments because they cannot locate the original artists."

More than 50 amateur and professional scriptwriters in theatre and film have signed to be placed on Kien's website.

"We want to improve copyright protection, which is a new field in the industry," Kien said. "We know the rules now and will act professionally."

Screenwriter Tran Duc Tuan of HCM City said the quality of scripts in Viet Nam were often poor because theatre companies and filmmakers had not supported experienced scriptwriters.

He urged film studios, television and radio stations, and entertainment companies to improve business relations with screenwriters.

Even today, scriptwriters find it difficult to improve their work professionally, despite the entertainment industry's explosive growth in recent years.

According to Tuan, scriptwriting is one of the most important steps in theatre and filmmaking and should be either an original creation or adaptation from an existing piece of writing.

The movement, actions, expression and dialogue of the characters are all important.

"The work of screenwriters is quite different to authors' work. A film studio or theatre cannot be professional without a staff of scriptwriters," he said.

A recent study by HCM City Television (HTV) found that most private theatre clubs and film companies did not have a regular staff of scriptwriters.

Even many State-owned studios have failed to attract skilled screenwriters.

"By working more closely with skilled scriptwriters, we can turn our efforts to the production of entertainment works that meet and educate the tastes of our young viewers," said Phuong Ha, a veteran screenplay rewriter for HTV.

She also pointed out that the industry could only become successful with official government support. — VNS