Dan Thuan, Tuoi Tre
On June 7, the Ho Chi Minh City Police announced that the Investigation Police Agency has opened a case and prosecuted Ms. Hoang Thi Bich Ngoc (40 years old, residing in Tan Son Nhi Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, owner of the áo dài fabric brand Đất Lành) to investigate the offense of “infringement of copyright.”
Acting on initial information from the Internal Political Security Department of the Hanoi City Police, the Economic Police Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Police promptly moved to clarify the violations committed by the defendant, Hoang Thi Bich Ngoc.
Preliminary investigation results determined that designer and áo dài brand owner Do Trinh Hoai Nam is the author and lawful owner of the áo dài collection “Thu tu pho thi” (“Letters from the City”). The collection has been issued a copyright registration certificate by the Copyright Office of Vietnam in accordance with the law. The work has been widely publicized through cultural events, fashion shows, and the media.
Caption: A design from the “Thu tu pho thi” collection by the Do Trinh Hoai Nam áo dài brand (left) and the áo dài design copied by Hoang Thi Bich Ngoc. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Police
Although she knew full well that the work was protected by copyright and that the owner had not given permission, Ms. Ngoc copied images of designs from the “Thu tu pho thi” collection and used artificial intelligence (AI) tools to process the images. She then directed her employees to edit and finalize the design files for use in the production, advertising, and sale of áo dài fabric products under the brand “Vải áo dài Đất Lành.”
The investigation determined that Ms. Ngoc’s business operated as a commercial-scale enterprise, with design, sales, production, logistics, and accounting departments, as well as high-capacity machinery.
In addition, she used multiple social media accounts, online sales groups, and a professional network of collaborators to promote and sell products across many provinces and cities, most heavily in Hanoi.
According to the conclusion of the Copyright Protection Center, copying occurred between the form of expression of the copyright-protected áo dài design by designer Do Trinh Hoai Nam and the fabric products manufactured and sold by Dat Lanh Áo Dài Fabric Printing Co., Ltd.
Notably, after the violation was discovered, Hoang Thi Bich Ngoc ordered employees to delete data, messages, images, and posts related to the infringing design from the company’s social media systems and internal communication groups in order to conceal the conduct and evade the authorities.
The Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency is continuing to expand the investigation to clarify all criminal acts and the responsibilities of the individuals and organizations involved, so that they can be handled in accordance with the law.
Source: Dùng AI sao chép thiết kế áo dài, chủ thương hiệu vải ‘Đất Lành’ bị khởi tố – Tuổi Trẻ Online
