An organisation to protect intellectual property rights is expected to be set up in Viet Nam by the end of the year.

Called the Viet Nam Reproduction Rights Organisation, it would protect the rights of authors and publishers including those living in foreign countries, said Nguyen Kiem, chief of the Ministry of Information and Communications' + char(39)+ N' Publishing Department at a briefing in Ha Noi last week.

He said the organisation would, for a fee, also create favourable conditions for users to legally access the diverse sources of documents and information through only a single contact.

The new organisation will be backed by a campaign management board set up on August 11 under a decision by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The organisation' + char(39)+ N's three main functions would include licensing reproduction rights for works, generating income from those who use the writings and distributing payments to authors.

Kiem said the operation budget would be raised by the donation of members from Viet Nam Author Rights and Law associations, publishing houses and scientists.

Over 60 associations and individuals had registered to be members so far and the number was expected to be 100 by the time the organisation is established.

Le Xuan Thao, a member of the Standing Committee of Viet Nam Law Association, said the organisation would play crucial role in executing intellectual property law and enforcing stronger punishments to prevent violations of copyrights and unauthorised publishing.