On November 12, the Department of Publishing and Libraries under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a directive calling for stepped-up inspections and handling of violations in publishing, printing, and distribution, particularly targeting books, calendars, and other publications serving the 2027 New Year and the Year of the Fire Goat Lunar New Year.
According to the department, demand for producing, trading, and circulating publications will rise sharply from now until early 2027. This period also carries heightened risks of pirated printing, counterfeiting, unauthorized reprinting, copyright infringement, and the sale of publications of unknown origin or containing unlawful content.
Through its management and inspection work, the department noted that several publishing houses have failed to fully maintain required operating conditions, while editing, appraisal, and content control processes remain lax. Pirated printing, counterfeiting, unauthorized reprinting, copyright violations, and the trade of unverified publications remain complicated, increasingly shifting toward e-commerce platforms, social media, and online sales channels.
To address the situation, the Department of Publishing and Libraries requested provincial departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism, as well as departments of Culture and Sports, to strengthen oversight of publishing, printing, and distribution within their jurisdictions. Local authorities were urged to coordinate with police, market surveillance, and customs forces to inspect facilities and distribution networks, focusing particularly on sales conducted via e-commerce platforms, social networks, and livestreams.
Localities must focus inspections on calendars, books, paintings, photos, and Lunar New Year publications to promptly detect, prevent, recall, and strictly handle acts of pirated printing, counterfeiting, and trading publications of unclear origin or unlawful content. Cases showing signs of criminal offenses must be transferred to competent authorities for investigation and prosecution.
For publishing houses, the department ordered tighter controls across all stages from manuscript intake, editing, appraisal, and joint publishing to printing, legal deposit submission, and distribution with clear accountability assigned at each step.
Publishers must regularly self-inspect publications they produce independently or through partnerships. Upon detecting errors or signs of violations, they must proactively suspend distribution, recall the items in accordance with regulations, and report to competent state management agencies.
Accordingly, directors and editors-in-chief of publishing houses must directly oversee and bear responsibility before the law and their managing agencies; they may not cite outsourcing to publishing partners or specialized departments to evade accountability.
The directive also requires heightened appraisal and content control for books, calendars, and publications related to politics, revolutionary history, national sovereignty, national security, national leaders, national heroes, and other important, sensitive issues.
The Department of Publishing and Libraries emphasized that heads of agencies, units, and enterprises are responsible for directing, inspecting, and urging implementation. If serious violations occur due to lax management, lack of responsibility, or failure to fully comply with legal regulations, the accountability of the organization's head must be reviewed.
