Ukrainian singer and Eurovision 2004 winner Ruslana Lyzhychko has found herself at the center of an international scandal related to copyright infringement. Ruslana's compositions were discovered in the Vietnamese music space, published under the name of local artist Ho Quynh Huong, who passed them off as her own works.
This is not only about the legendary song "Wild Dances", with which Ruslana gained world fame, but also about her other tracks - "Arkan", "Dance with the Wolves" and "Tell Me". In her Facebook post, the singer emphasized that all exclusive rights to these compositions belong only to her as the author and performer.
Ruslana explained that in 2005 she did indeed sign a contract that allowed her to create a cover version of "Wild Dances" for release on CD within Vietnam. However, this permission did not grant any rights to change the authorship, adapt under someone else's name, or distribute on digital platforms, which did not even exist at the time.
According to the singer, Huong has effectively appropriated the right to act as a songwriter, which is a gross distortion of the very concept of creativity. “Music can travel the world, but respect for the author is what distinguishes inspiration from theft,” Ruslana noted.
The artist emphasized that the substitution of authorship is not an interpretation, but a violation of inalienable rights that cannot simply be “formalized” or “transferred.” She added that she always supports freedom of creativity, but is categorically against dishonest manipulations where the principles of respect and honesty are lost.
The legal settlement of the incident has been handed over to Comp Music Publishing, which represents Ruslana as the rights holder. The label is already preparing for appropriate legal steps.
