# Rights of broadcasting organisations

Source: https://luatbanquyen.com/en/related-rights/broadcasters-rights · Updated: 2026-08-17 · Reviewed: 2026-08-17

Broadcasters hold exclusive rights in their broadcasts and signals — protecting both what was aired and the signal carrying it.

Broadcasting organisations — radio and television stations — are the third holder under the related-rights regime. Their right targets not the work being broadcast but the **broadcast** and the **signal** carrying it.

## The broadcaster's four exclusive rights

Under Article 31 of the IP Law, a broadcaster has the exclusive right to do or authorise: (1) **broadcasting and rebroadcasting** its own broadcasts; (2) **distributing** its broadcasts to the public; (3) **fixing** its broadcasts; and (4) **reproducing** the fixations of its broadcasts. The broadcaster is also entitled to **material benefits** when its programmes are recorded and distributed to the public.

## Why a separate "rebroadcasting" right exists

The rebroadcasting right matters in the era of pay television and streaming. When a cable or OTT provider grabs a station's channel and retransmits it to its own subscribers without permission, it touches the exclusive rebroadcasting right — a common source of disputes in the industry.

Rights in encrypted programme-carrying satellite signals are protected separately by the Brussels Convention (in force for Vietnam since 12 January 2006) — the international basis for fighting unauthorised reception, decoding and redistribution of satellite signals.

## Term

Broadcasters' rights run **50 years from the year following the year the programme was transmitted** (Article 34), ending at 24:00 on 31 December of the final year.

## Registration and cost

The right arises automatically; registration is evidentiary only. The certificate fee for a broadcast is **VND 500,000**.

## The boundary with the other two holders

A television programme may carry three layers of related rights at once: the artists' performance, the recording made by a producer, and the broadcast transmitted by the station. Each layer has its own holder and its own term — see the [related-rights overview](/related-rights/related-rights-overview).

## Common mistakes

**Assuming a free-to-air broadcast is "public property".** A programme aired on a free channel is still protected. Re-recording and reposting a whole programme online, or retransmitting it to paying subscribers, can infringe the station's exclusive rights.

**Assuming the station's permission is enough to use the whole content.** The station grants only its layer — the broadcast. The content inside (the work, the recording, the performance) must be cleared separately with each holder.

## Cited documents

- [Consolidated document 67/VBHN-VPQH — Law on Intellectual Property](/en/legal-documents/ip-law-consolidated) — In force

## Sources

- [Articles 31 and 34 of the IP Law — broadcasters' rights and their term — Điều 31, Điều 34](https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/So-huu-tri-tue/Van-ban-hop-nhat-67-VBHN-VPQH-2026-Luat-So-huu-tri-tue-700846.aspx) (67/VBHN-VPQH)
- [WIPO Lex — the Rome and Brussels Conventions in force for Viet Nam](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/members/profile/VN)

- Previous: [Rights of producers of sound and audiovisual recordings](/en/related-rights/producers-rights)

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Reference material only; it does not replace legal advice on a specific matter.