The abolition of certain copyright procedures in Vietnam 2026 under Decision 1198/QD-BVHTTDL is one of the notable administrative reform contents in the intellectual property sector in 2026. According to Decision No. 1198/QD-BVHTTDL dated May 22, 2026, of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, several administrative procedures regarding copyright and related rights have been officially abolished, including the procedure for the issuance of the certificate of copyright and related rights assessment organizations and the re-issuance of the certificate of copyright and related rights assessment organizations. The reduction of these procedures contributes to simplifying the state management process, reducing legal compliance costs for enterprises, organizations, and individuals operating in the copyright sector, while aligning with the policy of administrative procedure reform and improving the investment and business environment in Vietnam. In the article below, Viet An Law will update in detail the contents regarding the abolition of copyright procedures under Decision 1198/QD-BVHTTDL, the scope of application, and the legal impacts on relevant organizations.
According to Clause 1, Article 92 of Decree No. 17/2023/ND-CP, the assessment of copyright and related rights is the use of knowledge and professional expertise by competent organizations and individuals to evaluate and conclude on matters related to copyright and related rights at the request of organizations and individuals requesting the assessment.
The assessment of copyright and related rights includes the following contents:
Assessment of copyright and related rights in Vietnam
Accordingly, an assessor of copyright and related rights must be an individual with sufficient knowledge and professional expertise to evaluate and conclude on issues related to the contents needing assessment, satisfy all conditions stipulated in Clause 3, Article 201 of the Intellectual Property Law, and be recognized and granted a copyright and related rights assessor card by a competent state agency.
According to Order No. 155, Appendix IV issued together with the Investment Law 2025, the business of intellectual property representation services, including representation services for copyright and related rights, is a conditional business line.
Accordingly, an organization meeting the required conditions for the issuance of the certificate of assessment organizations shall submit one application dossier requesting the issuance of the certificate of assessment organizations in accordance with Article 99 of Decree No. 17/2023/ND-CP, as amended and supplemented by Decree 134/2026/ND-CP:
On May 18, 2026, the Government issued Resolution No. 66.18/2026/NQ-CP decentralizing, reducing, and simplifying administrative procedures and business conditions of 11 sectors and fields: public security; industry and trade; science and technology; internal affairs; national defense; justice; finance; construction; culture, sports and tourism; health; education and training (effective from July 1, 2026, to the end of February 28, 2027).
Regarding the copyright sector, according to Subsection I, Part C, Section 3 of Appendix I.9 on decentralization, reduction, and simplification of administrative procedures and business conditions within the management scope of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, it is stipulated:
“Do not implement the procedures for the issuance and re-issuance of the certificate of copyright and related rights assessment organizations stipulated in Article 99 of Decree No. 17/2023/ND-CP detailing a number of articles and measures for the implementation of the Intellectual Property Law”.
Thus, from July 1, 2026, Vietnamese organizations wishing to operate in the assessment of copyright and related rights will no longer have to carry out the administrative procedures requesting the issuance or re-issuance of the certificate of copyright and related rights assessment organizations as before.
To implement the provisions of Resolution No. 66.18/2026/NQ-CP, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 1198/QD-BVHTTDL in 2026 announcing the list of newly promulgated, amended, supplemented, and abolished administrative procedures within the management scope of the Ministry.
Accordingly, officially abolishing two central-level administrative procedures in the field of copyright and related rights, including:
The abolition stems from the Government’s policy of promoting decentralization, reduction, and simplification of administrative procedures in Resolution No. 66.18/2026/NQ-CP dated May 18, 2026.
This means that the pre-check mechanism through the certification procedure for copyright and related rights assessment organizations has been eliminated, thereby reducing the procedural burden for organizations operating in this field.
The abolition of administrative procedures brings many notable benefits:
Organizations no longer have to prepare dossiers, carry out administrative procedures, or wait for state agencies to appraise and issue certificates. This simplifies structural steps often associated with broader corporate compliance and copyright registration processes.
The elimination of a pre-check procedure helps organizations meeting the conditions under legal regulations to rapidly deploy activities without waiting to complete licensing procedures.
This is one of the moves to continue implementing the policy of strongly shifting from pre-checking to post-checking, creating a more favorable legal environment for entities participating in service provision activities in the intellectual property sector, which highly benefits those requiring intellectual property law consulting.
No. The abolition only applies to the administrative procedure of certificate issuance. The assessment activities of copyright and related rights are still carried out in accordance with the provisions of the intellectual property law.
According to Article 100 of Decree No. 17/2023/ND-CP, as amended and supplemented by Decree No. 134/2026/ND-CP, organizations and individuals having the right to request an assessment of copyright and related rights include:
According to Clause 1, Article 101 of Decree No. 17/2023/ND-CP, as amended and supplemented by Decree No. 134/2026/ND-CP, organizations and individuals requesting an assessment of copyright and related rights shall submit one application dossier requesting the assessment to an independent assessor or an assessment organization.
The request for assessment must be established in the form of an assessment service contract between the assessment requester and the assessment organization or the assessor.
The assessment of copyright and related rights may be performed by one or several copyright and related rights assessors. When performing an assessment of copyright and related rights, independent assessors and assessment organizations may establish an advisory council for the assessment of copyright and related rights.
If customers have any inquiries related to copyright and related rights, copyright assessment activities, or require intellectual property law consulting or assistance with copyright registration, please contact Viet An Law for our team of lawyers and experts to provide timely consultation and support regarding the abolition of certain copyright procedures in Vietnam 2026 under Decision 1198.
