Vietnamese singer accused of copyright infringement by Ukrainian star

Vietnamese pop star Ho Quynh Huong is at the center of an international copyright scandal after Ukrainian singer Ruslana accused her of unauthorized use of her hit songs. Ruslana, known for the Eurovision-winning track "Wild Dances," claims that Ho Quynh Huong performed the song without official permission.

The controversy deepened as Ruslana alleged that an agreement for "Wild Dances" was strictly limited to use within Vietnam, and furthermore, Ho Quynh Huong also performed three other songs by Ruslana, presenting them as her own original compositions. Ruslana’s label and rights holder are now involved on the legal side.

The incident underscores the complexities of securing proper permissions in the global music industry. The structure of international rights organizations and when you need to approach individual artists is often asserted to be opaque and, especially in developing markets not set up to enable easy licenses to be obtained.

The Vietnamese singer has also reportedly faced a separate copyright dispute regarding an unauthorized performance of a track by another Ukrainian artist, Tina Karol.