The Government’s newly-issued Decree No. 131/2013/ND-CP on sanctioning administrative violations in copyright and related rights

On 16 October 2013, the Government issued Decree No. 131/2013/ND-CP on sanctioning administrative violations in copyright and related rights. The Decree consists of 04 Chapters, 43 Articles, which fundamentally cover the regulations of the Government’s Decree No. 47/2009/ND-CP dated 13 May 2009 on sanctioning administrative violations in copyright and related rights and Decree No. 109/2011/ND-CP dated 02 December 2011 acting as revision and supplement to some articles of Decree No. 47/2009/ND-CP. In addition, Decree No. 131/2013/ND-CP has provided revision and supplement to some violations, as well as made certain modification in respect of fines, additional penalties and consequence-repairing remedies to go with the practice and the new regulations of the Law on handling administrative violations 2012.

Decree No. 131/2013/ND-CP will come into force since 15 December 2013 as a substitute for the Government’s said Decree No. 47/2009/ND-CP and Decree No. 109/2011/ND-CP. As for administrative violation cases in copyright and related rights occurring before 1 July 2013 and discovered after that or still pending, regulations beneficial to violators shall be applied.

(Pham & Associates)