Comment 6 for bug 419795

This is not fixed, if only because media keys are not configured by default, as mentioned in the bug title.

Also, you say "If nothing happens there, it simply means another application uses the same hotkey" - the problem is that this "other application" is generally GNOME, which by default captures media keys and broadcasts media key events via dbus. Stopping it from doing so would break other media players that have better GNOME integration. The correct fix, presumably, is to make vlc listen for these media key events via dbus.