Singer Son Tung M-TP Faces Plagiarism Allegations Over MV Set Design

A controversy has erupted in Vietnam's music scene, with visual artist Le Giang publicly accusing singer Son Tung M-TP's music video "Come My Way" of infringing on her intellectual property. Giang claims her sculpture, titled "Tan Chi," was copied and used as a set design for the MV without any prior consent or copyright agreement.

In response to the accusations, Antiantiart, the production company behind the MV, issued a formal statement on June 5. The company confirmed it was responsible for the overall production and had independently hired Microwave Soups for the set design. Antiantiart extended an apology to M-TP Talent, Son Tung M-TP's management company, and the singer himself for the negative impact, asserting that Son Tung M-TP had no involvement in the art design approval process.

While Antiantiart's statement offers some support for Son Tung M-TP, legal experts caution that a unilateral press release is insufficient to resolve intellectual property disputes. Lawyer Hoang Ha from the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association emphasized that legal proceedings in entertainment intellectual property cases focus on actual roles, contracts, and benefit exploitation, rather than celebrity status.

Hoang Ha clarified the distinction between direct responsibility for the infringing elements, lying with Antiantiart and Microwave Soups, and the responsibility of the entity that released and profited from the final product, potentially M-TP Talent or Son Tung M-TP. This situation draws parallels to a 2017 case involving singer Noo Phuoc Thinh and his song "Cham Khe Tim Anh Mot Chut Thoi," where the court found copyright infringement in the MV's background music but did not hold Noo Phuoc Thinh liable because he was deemed to be merely a paid performer without input on production or music selection.

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We need to clearly distinguish between two types of responsibility: the direct responsibility for creating the infringing element (currently with Antiantiart and Microwave Soups) and the responsibility of the entity that released and benefited from the final product (M-TP Talent or Son Tung).