South Korean court dismisses U.S. composer’s “Baby Shark” copyright claim
26 August 2025
The final note has sounded in the long-running legal battle over the children’s song “Baby Shark,” as South Korea’s Supreme Court has dismissed a copyright infringement claim from a U.S. composer against the song’s producer, The Pinkfong Company.
The ruling concludes a six-year litigation, cementing the South Korean firm’s rights to its version of the world-famous children’s anthem. This decision upholds the findings of two lower courts, ending the composer’s quest for recognition and compensation for the globally recognized tune.
Composer Jonathan Wright, who performs as Johnny Only, released his own sanitized “non-dismemberment version” in 2011. He initially accepted that the song was free for anyone to adapt. His stance shifted, however, when he observed Pinkfong taking legal action to protect its own copyright against a South Korean political party. This led him to question the legal status of his own creation, wondering in a 2019 interview if his version should also receive copyright protection, especially since Pinkfong was so aggressively defending theirs.
In response, Pinkfong argued that its 2016 global hit was also an independent adaptation of the same public domain source material. Ultimately, the Supreme Court sided with the company, ruling that Wright’s version lacked sufficient creative additions to qualify as a new, derivative work, thereby falling outside the scope of copyright law.
Long before it became a digital earworm, “Baby Shark” was a staple at American summer camps in the 1970s, possibly inspired by the movie Jaws. Pinkfong’s brightly animated and family-friendly production, however, propelled the tune to unprecedented digital heights. It shattered YouTube records, becoming the platform’s most-viewed video of all time and the first ever to cross the 10 billion-view threshold, transforming it from a simple campfire song into a cornerstone of modern internet culture.
While “Baby Shark” had seen previous international success, such as the 2007 viral German hit “Kleiner Hai” (Little Shark), Pinkfong’s adaptation achieved a unique level of global domination. The song has been translated into over 100 languages, covered by major artists, and expanded into a movie franchise. This phenomenal success fulfils the company’s vision of creating “K-pop for the next generation,” confirming that while the song may have many parents, Pinkfong’s version is the one that truly conquered the world.
- Excel V. Dyquiangco
