Baby Shark plagiarism case rejected by South Korean court

South Korea's courts person rejected a plagiarism assertion from a US composer who argued that Baby Shark, the catchy children's tune which became a planetary phenomenon, had copied his track.

Jonathan Wright launched his lawsuit successful the South Korean courts successful 2021, arguing that Baby Shark had copied his song's bass enactment and rhythm, infringing connected the copyright of a way helium had released 4 years earlier.

However, South Korea's apical tribunal ruled against him connected Thursday, noting that some tunes were based connected a classical melody played astatine children's summertime camps successful the US.

The Supreme Court recovered Wright's tune did not alteration capable from the archetypal to suffice for copyright protection, and that Baby Shark besides had wide differences arsenic a song.

Pinkfong, the South Korean children's contented steadfast which released the earworm successful 2015, welcomed the ruling, which upheld those made by the country's little courts. Wright had doubly appealed against judgments successful 2021 and 2023.

The ruling concludes the New York-based composer's six-year combat successful the South Korean courts. His lawyer called the result "a small disappointing", Reuters reported.

'Pop civilization icon' worthy millions

Pinkfong said the court's judgement confirmed that Baby Shark was based connected a "traditional singalong chant" successful the nationalist domain. The steadfast said it had boosted the tune and fixed it "a caller twist to the chant by adding an upbeat bushed and catchy melody, turning it into the popular civilization icon it is today".

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The steadfast released the way successful 2015 connected YouTube with a Baby Shark Dance video, which went viral. It has received much than 16 cardinal views since then, making it 1 of the astir fashionable YouTube videos connected record.

The opus and its associated products - including TV shows, movies and touring musicals based astir the household of Baby Shark characters stay a cardinal earner for Pinkfong, which reported $32.6m (£24m) successful gross for the archetypal fractional of 2025.

Wright had launched a damages assertion asking for compensation of $21,700.