The famous animated film Wolfoo was produced by a Vietnamese team and released globally in 20 languages. — Photo Sconnect
Sconnect has recently submitted reports to Vietnamese authorities, highlighting that eOne, its opponent in a copyright dispute, no longer owns the intellectual property rights to the Peppa Pig characters as of September 2023.
Despite this, eOne continues to file copyright claims against Wolfoo videos on YouTube, causing Sconnect extensive losses in damages. eOne has requested to "withdraw" from the lawsuit, which is seen as an attempt to evade legal responsibility in the ongoing three-year case.
The copyright dispute between Wolfoo (owned by Sconnect Vietnam) and Peppa Pig (owned by eOne) began in January 2022. eOne accused Sconnect of copyright infringement in a UK court. Since then, eOne has used the lawsuit to continuously file copyright claims against Wolfoo videos on YouTube, resulting in over 4,000 videos being deleted and channels temporarily suspended, causing significant financial damage to Sconnect. Sconnect estimates it loses about $1 million each month due to these unfounded claims.
According to Sconnect's recent report to Vietnamese authorities, eOne no longer owned intellectual property rights associated with Peppa Pig from September 1, 2023. Despite this, eOne filed an application at a UK court on April 17, 2024, to withdraw from the lawsuit. As of June 3, 2024, eOne still claimed ownership of Peppa Pig videos to file copyright strikes against Wolfoo videos on YouTube.
Sconnect is now requesting that the People's Court of Hanoi and the court in the UK order eOne to compensate for damages caused by falsely claiming ownership and filing these copyright strikes. They accuse eOne of deliberately evading responsibility and withdrawing from the lawsuit.
The global dispute between Sconnect and eOne spans the UK, Russia, and Vietnam, involving legal battles and regulatory actions. In Russia, eOne initially filed a lawsuit against Sconnect but withdrew its claims in July 2022. Sconnect countersued, resulting in a partial victory. In Vietnam, multiple lawsuits have been filed against eOne for trademark and copyright infringement related to Wolfoo, seeking injunctions and damages.
Sconnect emphasises that despite eOne's ownership transfer to Hasbro's subsidiary, eOne continued to claim ownership of Peppa Pig, leading to legal complexities and financial losses. They continue to pursue legal remedies and demand Google and YouTube cease honoring eOne's copyright claims and restore removed Wolfoo videos.
The ongoing dispute underscores the challenges of international intellectual property disputes, where ownership claims, legal maneuvers, and financial implications intersect. — VNS