INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND CULTURAL RIGHTS OF VIETNAM'S ETHNIC MINORITY COMMUNITIES IN THE DIGITAL SPACE
Main Article Content
Abstract
This research employs an interdisciplinary approach to reconcile legal conflicts between individual intellectual property (IP) rights and the collective cultural rights of ethnic minority communities within the context of digital transformation. By identifying gaps in the 2025 Law on Intellectual Property and the 2024 Law on Cultural Heritage regarding the intergenerational nature of heritage, this study proposes an integrated protection framework based on four strategic pillars: (1) Establishing collective legal status and indigenous data sovereignty (IDSov) to provide a formal legal basis for for protecting collectively held traditional knowledge, (2) Operationalizing customary law through the standardized metadata and Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels to create flexible digital barriers, (3) Implementing automated protection and benefit-sharing models based on distributed ledger technology (Blockchain and Smart Contracts), and (4) Creating a digital ethics ecosystem and defining the responsibilities of technology platforms based on CARE principles to prevent “data colonialism.” These solutions strengthen IDSov, facilitate a shift from passive conservation to active governance, and better safeguard the living continuity of cultural heritage. They also provide a foundation for preserving collective cultural identity amid increasing pressures from data extraction and technological commercialization.
Keywords
cultural rights, digital transformation, ethnic minority communities, intellectual property
Article Details
References
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