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Baby Shark plagiarism case rejected by South Korean court
South Korea's courts have rejected a plagiarism claim from a US composer who argued that Baby Shark, the catchy children's tune which became a global phenomenon, had copied his track.
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.
Amir Nisi
Creative and experienced content writer with 6+ years of experience lazy to create unique content strategy for News5 to turn website visitors into customers.
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