Containing the information about 906 species
of birds, the book entitled Chim Viet Nam (Viet Nam’s Birds) by biological
associate professor Nguyễn Lân Hùng Sơn and late professor Võ Quý is considered
as the most complete reference of Viet Nam’s birds up to date. However, as soon
as the 1,200-page book was released early last week, it became the centre of a
copyright controversy among Vietnamese photographers. Many photographers have
surprisingly found their works used in the book as illustrations without any
request from the author for their permission. “I have received no contact from
associate professor Sơn until Chim Viet Nam was officially launched. I have
learned that my photos of birds appeared in the book’s via my friends and
attendants of the book launch ceremony,” photographer Tang A Pau told the Viet
Nam News. Three of his photos of Viet Nam’s rare birds, Malayan Night Heron,
Banded Broadbill and Pigmy Wren Babbler, have been used in the book. To make
matters worse, all the signatures, watermarks or signs of authorization have
been edited away. He wasn’t the only one; other photographers have filed
similar complaints. According to Pau, it takes tremendous time and effort to
capture a good photo of a precious bird. “Capturing wild animals is the
toughest kind of photography in terms of the photographers’ dedication and
other factors like weather, topography and threats from dangerous animals.
There were instances it took us up to two days to reach the mountain, sleeping
overnight at a peak in freezing cold weather to capture just 10 seconds of a
precious bird,” he said. Photographer Nguyễn Tuấn also had his work used in
Chim Viet Nam. Though his photo of golden-winged laughingthrush was credited in
the book, he received no request for permission. Furthermore, the books has
been sold for commercial purposes, costing VNĐ1.2 million (USD53) each. “We are
always willing to donate the fruits of our works to nonprofit organizations or
conferences that aim at conservation. However, we have and will never cooperate
with commercial products, as we do not want to evaluate our efforts photos
based on monetary values,” Pau said. Amid the rage of many photographers whose
works were used without permission, associate professor Sơn has explained that
the time pressure to finish the book by the deadline was the cause. In an email
to Tuổi Trẻ News, he said that the aim of the book was to summarise collective
knowledge about Viet Nam’s variety of birds, serving the avifauna study in the
country “The source of the photos on the internet have not always been clear,
and it takes much time to contact the authors. However, despite any purposes,
it is crucial to credit the photos. That is the mistake that we have to take
away from the experience,” he wrote, adding that he wishes to send his sincere
apology to the photographers. He also mentioned that the book has been
withdrawn for adjustments and corrections. The photographers are invited to
contact to associate professor Sơn via his email for approval and detailed
information about the photo. If the publishing house receives no response from
the photographers, their works will be taken out of the book. But such
solutions have not satisfied the photographers. “The author of the book needs
to contact the authors of the photos, not the vice versa. It is also
unacceptable to ask to photographers to send emails to the book author to claim
their authorization as an unwilling action,” Pau said. “As long as the author
can prove that his books are beneficial for society, education or science, and
the distribution is not for profit, we are willing to give away all of our
photos, free of charge.”
Viet
Nam News – May 25 - http://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/377077/vn-bird-book-launches-fiery-photo-controversy.html#WTL2ecMTOKdAsSU6.97
Viet Nam bird book launches fiery photo controversy
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