Overview of the Copyright Dispute over the Animated Series “Wolfoo”

The copyright dispute involving the animated series “Wolfoo” has been ongoing for quite a long time and continues to attract significant public attention. After the Vietnam Digital Communications Association (VDCA) officially spoke out and called on relevant authorities to step in to protect Vietnamese animated content, the case has once again become a focal point of public concern.

Suddenly “Struck” by Copyright Claims

“Wolfoo” is an animated series produced by Sconnect at its own studio. The series was first released on YouTube in June 2018 and quickly became one of the most popular animated programs among children in Vietnam.

To date, content channels related to the Wolfoo character include approximately 2,700 episodes, attracting more than 50 million subscribers. The content has been translated into 17 languages and distributed globally. The series has been broadcast on various platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Netflix, television channels, and online platforms in many countries from 2018 to the present. Wolfoo has also achieved remarkable results, receiving three Diamond Play Buttons as well as dozens of Gold and Silver Play Buttons from YouTube.

So far, Sconnect has obtained copyright certificates for the Wolfoo character images in Vietnam; copyright certificates for Wolfoo character images in the United States (covering 20 characters); copyright certificates for the Wolfoo animated script in Vietnam; and copyright certificates for the Wolfoo animated films in Vietnam. In addition, Sconnect has registered multiple Wolfoo trademarks in Vietnam, Russia, the United States, and the European Union many years ago.

However, while Wolfoo was gaining strong momentum online and expanding its international audience, it encountered conflicts with two foreign companies: EO and another UK-based company, Astley Baker Davies Limited, both headquartered in London and co-owners of the animated product Peppa Pig.

A Series of Lawsuits in Russia and the United Kingdom

On January 11, 2022, EO filed a lawsuit against Sconnect at the Moscow Court, relating to copyright issues between the animated series Wolfoo and Peppa Pig. EO accused Wolfoo of infringing the intellectual property rights of Peppa Pig and listed the allegedly infringing videos in its lawsuit.

On July 7, 2022, based on the assessment results of Russian literature and art experts, who confirmed that “the Wolfoo character set is not a remake of the Peppa Pig character set,” the Moscow Court issued a ruling stating that EO no longer had the right to file complaints or lawsuits claiming that the Wolfoo characters were a remake of the Peppa Pig characters.

Despite this ruling, in February 2022, EO continued to file a lawsuit against Sconnect in the United Kingdom with similar accusations, listing 91 Wolfoo videos allegedly infringing copyright, similar to those previously mentioned.

Although this one-sided lawsuit had not yet been accepted by the UK court, EO still used it as a basis to report and claim copyright violations against a large number of Wolfoo videos on YouTube, including videos both within and outside the scope of the lawsuit. Notably, despite the lack of convincing evidence, YouTube removed all reported videos, including those unrelated to EO’s lawsuit.

To date, YouTube has blocked more than 1,000 Wolfoo animated videos, causing extremely serious damage to Sconnect. According to the company, these actions have resulted in estimated losses of approximately USD 844,200 (equivalent to nearly VND 20 billion), along with other non-material damages such as loss of reputation, brand value, emotional distress, and damage to business relationships, partnerships, and investments.

The Journey of Complaints and Legal Actions

In March 2022, Sconnect submitted a complaint to the Vietnam National Competition Commission, accusing EO of unfair competition practices in violation of Clauses 3 and 4, Article 45 of the Law on Competition.

In August 2022, Sconnect sent petitions to the Minister of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

On August 19, 2022, Sconnect officially filed a lawsuit against EO at the Hanoi People’s Court. In the first lawsuit, Sconnect accused EO of illegally using the Wolfoo trademark in Peppa Pig videos, an act that violates Point b, Clause 1, Article 129 of the Law on Intellectual Property. Sconnect also requested the court to order EO to cease its infringing activities and publicly apologize to Sconnect in three international newspapers.

On September 15, 2022, Sconnect Vietnam filed a second lawsuit against EO at the Hanoi People’s Court for acts of infringing copyright over cinematic works and applied art works related to Wolfoo.

In this second lawsuit, Sconnect requested the court to issue a ruling requiring EO to cease all acts of copyright infringement against the Wolfoo animated character set and the Wolfoo animated films, including the act of flagging Wolfoo videos on YouTube for copyright violations. Sconnect also requested that YouTube (Google) and EO restore all Wolfoo animated videos that had been flagged and removed. Additionally, Sconnect asked the court to require organizations and enterprises not to accept or support EO in carrying out copyright infringement against Wolfoo content. EO was also requested to publicly correct the information and apologize to Sconnect in three international newspapers. Furthermore, Sconnect demanded compensation of USD 844,200, provisionally calculated as of September 12, 2022.

Vietnam Digital Communications Association Steps In

In September 2022, Sconnect submitted a request to the Vietnam Digital Communications Association (VDCA), asking for review, support, and assistance in resolving the difficulties it faced in protecting its lawful rights and interests against serious infringement by a foreign enterprise.

After accepting the case, VDCA sent official documents to the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (Ministry of Information and Communications) and the Copyright Office of Vietnam (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).

VDCA stated that Sconnect has been suffering severe damage due to decisions made by intermediary service providers such as YouTube and Facebook, based on EO’s complaints and lawsuit documents that have not yet been accepted by the UK court.

VDCA requested the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information and the Copyright Office of Vietnam to fully review the case files and issue official communications to intermediary service providers YouTube and Facebook, asking them to maintain the status quo between Sconnect and EO during the complaint and litigation process until an official ruling is issued by one of the courts with jurisdiction—either the Hanoi People’s Court (where Sconnect sued EO) or the court in the United Kingdom (where EO sued Sconnect).

VDCA also sent a letter to Ms. Lien Nguyen, Senior Policy Advisor of Google for the Vietnamese market, requesting YouTube to carefully and thoroughly review the case, support Vietnamese enterprises, and maintain the status quo between Sconnect and EO until an official ruling is issued by a competent court in Vietnam or the United Kingdom.

Awaiting the Conclusion of a Prolonged Dispute

At present, the Wolfoo copyright dispute continues to attract strong public attention in Vietnam. Many hope that the case will soon reach a fair and transparent conclusion, ensuring justice for Vietnamese enterprises that are making serious efforts to create original content and establish their position in both the domestic and international markets.