Baby Shark plagiarism case rejected by South Korean court
Jonathan Wright launched his case in the South Korean courts in 2021, arguing that Baby Shark had copied his song's bass line and rhythm, infringing on the copyright of a track he had released four years earlier.
However, South Korea's top court ruled against him on Thursday, noting that both tunes were based on a classic melody played at children's summer camps in the US.
The Supreme Court found Wright's tune did not vary enough from the original to qualify for copyright protection, and that Baby Shark also had clear differences as a song.
Pinkfong, the South Korean children's content firm which released the earworm in 2015, welcomed the ruling, which upheld those made by the country's lower courts. Wright had twice appealed against judgments in 2021 and 2023.
The ruling concludes the New York-based composer's six-year fight in the South Korean courts. His lawyer called the outcome "a little disappointing", Reuters reported.
'Pop culture icon' worth millions
Pinkfong said the court's judgment confirmed that Baby Shark was based on a "traditional singalong chant" in the public domain. The firm said it had boosted the tune and given it "a fresh twist to the chant by adding an upbeat rhythm and catchy melody, turning it into the pop culture icon it is today".
The firm released the track in 2015 on YouTube with a Baby Shark Dance video, which went viral. It has received more than 16 billion views since then, making it one of the most popular YouTube videos on record.
The song and its associated products - including TV shows, movies and touring musicals based around the family of Baby Shark characters remain a key earner for Pinkfong, which reported $32.6m (£24m) in revenue for the first half of 2025.
Wright had launched a damages claim asking for compensation of $21,700.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
9 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
King to tell nation sacrifices of VJ Day heroes ‘shall never be forgotten'
In an audio message to the nation, realms and Commonwealth, Charles will reflect on the horrors experienced by prisoners of war and innocent civilians of occupied lands in the region 'whose suffering reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life'. VJ Day on August 15 marks the anniversary of Japan's surrender to the Allies following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, effectively ending the Second World War. The six-minute speech, recorded earlier this month in the Morning Room at Clarence House, echoes and references the historic audio broadcast made by Charles's grandfather King George VI. The monarch will describe how the heroes of VJ Day 'gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected', with victory made possible by close collaboration between nations 'across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides'. The then-Prince of Wales at the national service of remembrance marking the 75th anniversary of VJ Day in 2020 (Oli Scarff/PA) Charles will say this demonstrated how 'in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link'. The service and sacrifice of veterans and those who lost their lives fighting in the conflict 'shall never be forgotten', he will say. The message will be released at 7.30am on Friday ahead of a service of remembrance attended by the King and Queen, Second World War veterans and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Charles was pictured looking serious with his hands clasped as he sat at his desk at his London residence Clarence House, with a microphone angled towards him, as he prepared to read his address. The King at his desk in the Morning Room at Clarence House recording his message to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day (Aaron Chown/PA) Friday's televised service, broadcast live by the BBC, will pay tribute to all those who served in the Asia-Pacific theatre, including Burma Star recipients, British Indian Army veterans, former prisoners of war, and those who fought in pivotal battles including Kohima and Imphal in India. The event, hosted by the Royal British Legion in partnership with the Government, will see the King and his wife leave floral tributes, as will other senior figures. A national two-minute silence will conclude with an aerial display by the Red Arrows and the service will draw to a close with a flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, before the King and Queen attend a reception with Second World War veterans.
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Lana Del Rey accuses rival singer Ethel Cain of body-shaming her amid ongoing feud
Lana Del Rey has accused fellow singer-songwriter Ethel Cain of body-shaming her in an explosive social media post. The Born to Die hitmaker, 40, has also reportedly blocked the up-and-coming Ethel on Instagram and recorded a diss track about her. The drama started when Lana namechecked Ethel in one of her new songs, which she previewed on Instagram on Wednesday. 'Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post,' she crooned in the ballad. After pop music fan account Popbase posted the clip, Lana left a comment accusing Ethel of body-shaming her. 'I didn't know who Ethel was until a few years ago - when someone brought to my attention the disturbing and graphic side-by-side images she would often put up of me next to unflattering creatures and cartoon characters making constant comments about my weight,' she wrote. 'I was confused at what she was getting at. Then when I heard what she was saying behind closed doors from mutual friends and started inserting herself into my personal life I was definitely disturbed.' Ethel reacted to the drama on her Instagram Stories on Thursday, writing, 'Update: Lana Del Rey has blocked Ethel Cain on Instagram'. While it's unclear how exactly Lana and Ethel's beef started, fans have long speculated that the pair have been trading subtle jabs at each other for years. One of the most glaring instances of shade between the two stemmed from a 2022 New York Times article about Ethel titled, 'The Most Famous Girl At The Waffle House.' After the article was published, Lana famously worked a shift at a Waffle House in Alabama. She also referenced the incident in her unreleased diss track to Ethel. Fans have claimed that Ethel has made several shady posts about Lana on social media over the years, and that that's where their issues stem from. Making things more awkward, Ethel is friends with Lana's longtime ex-boyfriend Jack Donoghue. The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Ethel Cain for comment. Ethel burst onto the music scene in 2022 with her debut album, 'Preacher's Daughter'. Ethel reacted to the drama on her Instagram Stories on Thursday, writing, 'Update: Lana Del Rey has blocked Ethel Cain on Instagram' The album was acclaimed by critics and reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200, making Ethel the first openly transgender artist to score a top ten album. Her indie-pop style has earned her comparisons to Lana from music critics, which Ethel has dismissed as 'lazy'. She released her sophomore album, 'Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You', on August 8. Meanwhile, Lana has been busy working on her tenth studio album for the last two years. It was originally a country-inspired record called Lasso, but the songstress scrapped the idea and changed the album's title to The Right Person Will Stay. She has since scrapped the second title and the album currently has no release date. She most recently completed a sold-out stadium tour of the UK.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
JD Vance reveals favourite meme of himself: ‘It's very inappropriate'
US Vice President JD Vance revealed his favourite meme, describing it as "very inappropriate" but "very funny", during an appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast. The meme began circulating after the Pope's death and features the Pope, Vance's wife Usha, and a couch. It references a fake passage from Vance's memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which falsely claimed he had sex with a couch when he was younger. The meme humorously depicts a "F***, Marry, Kill" scenario where Vance would marry Usha, kill the Pope, and have sex with the couch. Watch the video in full above.
