Wolfoo’s Copyright Dispute with Peppa Pig Escalates in Vietnam, Sconnect Requests Support from Authorities
Wolfoo, the beloved Vietnamese cartoon character, finds itself caught up in a copyright dispute with the international sensation Peppa Pig. The owner of Wolfoo, Sconnect, has taken the matter to Vietnamese agencies and requested their support in resolving the issue with YouTube, which has been accepting unfounded claims from Peppa Pig’s owner, Entertainment One (EO).
On July 28, Sconnect lodged a petition with several Vietnamese agencies, including the Copyright Office of Vietnam (COV), the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (ABEI), the National Competition Commission, and the Vietnam Digital Communications Association (VDCA). They are seeking assistance to engage in discussions with Google and YouTube to address the copyright dispute and stop the acceptance of baseless claims made by EO.
Sconnect is urging Google to respect and adhere to Vietnamese laws, specifically referring to Article 114 in Decree 17/2023/ND-CP. They are calling for the swift restoration of over 3,000 Wolfoo videos that have been removed from YouTube.
The copyright dispute between Wolfoo and Peppa Pig has been ongoing since early 2022, leading to lawsuits between the two parties in Russia, the UK, and Vietnam. In September 2022, Sconnect filed petitions with four ministers and the chair of VDCA, seeking protection for their legitimate rights and interests, which they claim are being infringed upon on YouTube.
After carefully examining the documents and reports submitted by Sconnect, VDCA, ABEI, and COV sent a communication to Google and YouTube. The three agencies requested Google to clarify the matters raised by Sconnect in reports related to the dispute, considering that no final court decision has been reached yet.
Furthermore, they called for the restoration of Wolfoo videos and Sconnect’s locked YouTube channels, and requested the removal of the block on new content until a final judgment is issued by the courts. Sconnect is currently suing EO in the Hanoi People’s Court and Vietnam National Competition Commission, while EO is countersuing in a UK court.
Sconnect claims that EO has repeatedly reported copyright violations on Wolfoo videos since April 2023, alleging that Sconnect has used images and sounds from Peppa Pig videos without permission. However, Sconnect asserts that EO and YouTube failed to provide clear evidence to support these claims. They maintain that the scenes, backgrounds, and sounds in Wolfoo videos were created by their own workers and recorded with Vietnamese voice actors, in accordance with Vietnamese laws.
Lawyer Pham Van Anh, the head of Sconnect’s legal department, has described EO’s allegations of copyright infringement on scenes, backgrounds, and sounds as baseless and illegal. Sconnect has made numerous attempts to engage with YouTube but has received no response, leading them to seek help from VDCA, COV, ABEI, and the National Competition Commission once again.
While YouTube initially restored some locked Wolfoo videos and granted Sconnect the right to upload 19 previously blocked channels, EO filed a complaint with Google in July. As a result, Google went on to lock content on multiple YouTube channels and removed the previously restored Wolfoo videos, which Sconnect argues is a violation of Vietnam’s Decree 17. According to the decree, Google/YouTube can only remove Wolfoo videos owned by Sconnect when there is a valid court judgment.
The copyright dispute between Wolfoo and Peppa Pig continues to surge, with Sconnect now seeking the support of Vietnamese authorities to protect their rights and interests. As the legal battle unfolds across international courts, both parties await a final judgment that will determine the outcome of this contentious issue.
