Training Workshop on Copyright Registration and Intellectual Property Protection for Academic Works

On May 15, 2025, the Department of Research Development, in collaboration with the VLG Training & Development Center, organized a training session for faculty members and researchers from various Faculties and Institutes, aiming to raise awareness and improve skills in intellectual property protection for academic products.

At the beginning of the workshop, Ms. Tran Thi Phuong Anh - Chief of Office, Center for Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized: “Copyright registration goes beyond legal procedures; it represents an acknowledgment of creativity, respect for effort, and professional credibility of lecturers within the academic environment”.

According to the speaker, copyright includes two categories: moral rights - personal, non-transferable; and economic rights - commercially valuable, which can belong to either individuals or organizations. Protected works are highly diverse, ranging from textbooks, lectures, software, scientific papers to artistic works, theses, and dissertations.

However, she pointed out that the rate of copyright registration in universities remains low: “Most lecturers have their own teaching materials and lectures, meaning they already possess intellectual property. However, due to a lack of understanding about the registration process, many miss the opportunity to legally protect their work”. Besides, students can also register copyrights for research projects, theses, and dissertations - especially in the current context where plagiarism and unauthorized use are prevalent.

A highlight of the workshop was the sharing of practical experiences by lecturers who have personally gone through the copyright registration process. Ms. Le Thu Hang, M.A. - Vice Dean of the Faculty of Fundamental Sciences, shared her experience in preparing documentation for the recording of Chapter 2: Consciousness, and the Relationship between Matter and Consciousness. From her practical experience, she emphasized the importance of content standardization, proper formatting, and clear classification of materials as essential steps in the registration process.

Mr. Huynh Chi Nhan, M.A. - Lecturer from the Faculty of Fundamental Sciences, provided insights based on his experience registering the recording of the course “Computer Skills and Applied Office Informatics”. He noted that beyond the academic content, lecturers need to pay close attention to the technical quality of the video, including sound, visuals, and layout, as these factors may directly affect the validity of the product in the context of related rights evaluation.

Ms. Huynh Nguyen Thanh Loan, M.A. - Head of Operations and Development for the Honors Program, shared a case involving the article introducing a segment of the interdisciplinary modules in the Honors curriculum. She highlighted the difference between individual and collective copyrights, stressing the importance of transparency in documentation to prove the creative process - a crucial factor to ensure legal validity and protect the rightful interests of the author.

Ms. Phan Thi Ngoc Thach, M.A. - Head of Lecturer Development Unit, Van Lang Language Institute, introduced the integration of Generative AI in the design and copyright registration of a series of teaching materials, such as the “Class Observation and Evaluation Procedure” and “VSTEP English Exam Prep Materials – Levels 3 and 4”. She emphasized the need to simultaneously meet pedagogical and legal standards, maintain electronic records, and check for content duplication in order to secure intellectual property rights.

Van Lang University hopes that through this training session, lecturers will gain a solid understanding of the copyright registration process, thereby strengthening awareness of intellectual property protection and contributing to the development of a transparent, professional academic environment that inspires broader society.

News: Dang Khoa
Photos: Gia Thuan