Vietnam issued Decree No. 134/2026/ND-CP on April 6, 2026, amending the country's copyright rules to address AI-generated works, training data, and liability. Effective April 9, the decree requires meaningful human authorship for copyright protection, mandates lawful use of training data, and creates new compliance duties for AI developers and deployers. The move positions copyright as a central pillar of AI regulation in Vietnam, alongside data protection and cybersecurity.
Human authorship remains the legal anchor
The decree confirms that copyright in Vietnam depends on human creativity. AI systems cannot be authors. A work qualifies for protection only if a human makes a meaningful contribution to its creation. The law does not specify a threshold, but the guidance in Decree No. 134 makes clear that purely AI-generated outputs without human direction or selection fall outside copyright. For companies deploying AI tools that generate content, documenting the human role in the creative process becomes essential.
For legal professionals working in AI for Legal, the decree's authorship standard provides a reference point for drafting contracts and advising on IP ownership.
Training data, text mining, and opt-out rights
Decree No. 134 introduces rules for text and data mining used to train AI models. Rightsholders can opt out of having their works used for this purpose. AI developers must respect these opt-out signals and cannot rely on blanket exceptions to copyright if a rightsholder has clearly reserved their rights. The decree also requires that training data be lawfully obtained, with documentation of the sources and any permissions.
Downstream liability and ongoing accountability
The framework does not stop at the training stage. Deployers of AI systems face liability if they use infringing outputs or fail to implement reasonable safeguards. The decree demands that organizations monitor AI-generated content for potential copyright infringement and maintain records of their compliance efforts. This creates a continuous obligation, not a one-time clearance.
Why this matters for legal professionals
Vietnam's Decree No. 134 transforms copyright law into an active compliance function for any business using AI. Legal teams will need to review data sourcing contracts, update internal policies on AI use, and establish processes for responding to opt-out requests. The requirement to demonstrate human authorship also affects how companies structure AI-assisted workflows to secure IP ownership. Ignoring these rules exposes organizations to infringement claims and regulatory action.
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