TikTok Sued for Copyright Infringement again

Tiktok is in trouble again. The short video platform is being sued for copyright infringement. As reported by Reuters, VNG, a Vietnamese technology firm has sued Titok, the firm claims that TikTok does not have licenses for the songs being used on the  video streaming platform.

TikTok is a social networking service owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance. The service allows users to create and share short videos featuring lip-sync performances, and comedy, usually set to music. 

TikTok faces accusations of inadequate licensing

The Beijing-based company has been accused of not having adequate licenses to the audio tracks used on its platform. The law requires these short video platforms to have rights to stream music. These rights are usually granted through licenses.

Founded in 2004, VNG Corporation is a Vietnam-based technology firm that specializes in online games, platforms and cloud services.

According to VNG, the short video platform has been using audio tracks that are owned by Zing, a VNG subsidiary. These tracks are being used without acquiring proper licenses. The platforms need to acquire licenses from the copyright owners.

A legal document from the people's court of Ho Chi Minh City seen by Reuters stated, “VNG requests TikTok remove all music segments taken from Zing records from both the TikTok application and website, and an indemnification for damages of over 221 billion dong ($9.5 million or Rs. 70 crores). 

Vietnam Music Association blames Tiktok’s complicated business model

Vietnam Music Association voiced its concerns in response to the questions asked by Reuters. The Association said, "Notably, TikTok has introduced a very complicated business model to avoid copyright compliance in Vietnam." 

Tiktok has faced potential copyright violations previously as well

The company also came under fire for infringement of copyright when the National Music Publishers Association (“NMPA”) in the US threatened to sue the platform for copyright infringement. Later, the social media service reached a licensing deal with the Association. 

It remains to be seen how the platform will tackle the copyright infringement accusations in Vietnam.