Even "Red Rain" cannot escape being illegally posted despite being shown for free
TV360 is currently the Vietnamese OTT platform with the most comprehensive copyright protection system. The platform applies Multi-DRM L1, including winevine from Google, FairPlay from Apple, and PlayReady from Microsoft. This is the most advanced content encryption layer, recognized by international film studios and sports tournaments. Along with that, TV360 deploys dynamic watermark associated with each user account, allowing tracing the source of leaks even when the content is screen, compressed or edited. hardware-based anti-screen recording technology helps disable most popular security cameras, while TV360's copyright management center operates 24/7 to detect, report and request the removal of smuggled movies as soon as they appear.
It can be said that with Red Rain, TV360 has fully exploited all the best copyright protection layers today. This proves that legal platforms are fully capable of protecting content in international standards. The fact that the film "Red Rain" - being distributed for free by TV360 in accordance with the copyright agreement - was posted by many illegal websites just a few hours after its release continues to reflect the serious nature of copyright infringement, showing that the limitation is not the efforts or capabilities of the platform, but the rampantness of an underground market that earns money from copyright infringement. The case shows that copyright infringement in Vietnam is no longer spontaneous, but an operated "underground industry", making a large profit and almost not facing corresponding legal risks.
On the contrary, units that comply with the law must pay for the costs of purchasing copyrights, investing in production, storage, and technology infrastructure and being responsible for protecting content. In particular, OTT platforms such as TV360 have made efforts to apply the most advanced copyright protection measures, but have yet to create an absolute barrier to the dominance of illegal websites. With Red Rain, TV360 accepts not to charge a fee to bring the work to a large audience, considering this a way to spread historical and humanistic values. But it is the legal content that is stolen, edited, and re-upped on illegal websites for profit, turning serious efforts into "prey" for an illegal market.
400 violating websites and a chaotic picture of Vietnamese smuggled films
According to statistics from the Department of Cinema, there are more than 400 Vietnamese websites that release tens of thousands of uncopyright films. They earn money from advertising - including gambling, betting - along with VIP packages, virtualship cards, high-quality fees... Not having to pay for copyright but still making great profits, the illegitimate film ecosystem is actually an illegal "money printing machine". Even if fined, many pages only need to change their domain name to be active again, creating a situation of "bottlenecks growing there" that lasts for many years.
In that environment, the difference between units that do the right thing but suffer and units that violate but make a profit is becoming increasingly clear. Law-compliant businesses have eroded investment motivation, while illegal websites take advantage of their own products to make money and attract viewers. If this vicious cycle is not stopped, the copyright film market will weaken, and it will be difficult for professionals to maintain confidence in the path of professional creation.
Referees are not "heavy enough" and the situation of "iding under the law" is prolonged
According to Decree 131/2013/ND-CP, the maximum administrative fine for copyright infringement is 250 million VND for individuals and 500 million VND for organizations. However, the actual fine is usually only at a few tens of millions of VND - too small compared to the revenue that many illegal websites earn. While many countries have applied criminal sanctions with large fines and prison sentences for organized violations, in Vietnam, the gap between the legal framework and enforcement is still significant, causing the situation of "belonging to the law" to continue.
This gap makes violators almost not face the corresponding legal risks and continue to operate openly. Tracing is also difficult because of the use of overseas servers, anonymous technology and constant changes in domain names, making the processing an endless chase.
Changing viewers' awareness - a decisive factor in the fight against illegal movies
The habit of watching free movies is often considered the root of illegal movies, but more deeply is the story of respect for artistic workers. A film is not created by a few copying operations; it is the crystallization of the intelligence, time, financial resources and passion of thousands of people. When audiences consider watching smuggled films as normal, the value of creative labor is also discounted, and in the end, viewers will suffer when the market lacks seriously invested works.
The audience is the one who decides whether illegal websites exist or disappear. Only when users proactively reject copyright- violating film sources can the market operate fairly and sustainably. Because if legal content continues to be stolen and disseminated widely, all serious investment efforts of the producer and platform will become meaningless.
In that context, platforms like TV360 providing rich content, continuously updated, high quality is a necessary direction to meet the healthy entertainment needs of the audience. In particular, the free broadcast of Red Rain is not only a promotion, but also a new approach to attract viewers back to the path of enjoying legitimate, civilized and copyright-respecting films.
Need for a strong system of solutions to protect the creative industry
To protect the rights of filmmakers and legal platforms, the fight against smuggled films requires more synchronous and drastic measures:
- Coordinate between authorities - network operators - banks to prevent cash flow into the ecosystem of smuggled films.
- Consider criminal proceedings against serious violations to create a real deterrent effect.
- Promote the application of technology: encryption, tracing content, leak tracking system.
- Strengthen communication to raise public awareness of the responsibility to protect copyright.
A film cannot be created by a few copying operations; it is the crystallization of the intelligence, time and passion of thousands of people. Theft of works not only causes damage to the producer or distribution platform, but also causes loss to the entire creative industry. The fight against smuggled films cannot end overnight, but if we do not take drastic action right now, the values created by society will continue to be eroded, and the creative motivation will gradually expire. On the contrary, when we work together to protect copyright, we not only protect artists but also build a healthy digital content market, where works like Red Rain can reach audiences through an official and worthy way of respect.
