3 Count: Baby Shark History

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1: ‘Baby Shark’ Copyright Battle Ends With Victory for Pinkfong in South Korea’s Top Court

First off today, Gawon Bae at CNN reports that a US composer has lost his fight with Pinkfong over its viral Baby Shark video and song.

The composer, Jonathan Wright, sued Pinkfong in South Korea, claiming that their version of the song infringed on one that he created. However, the Supreme Court of South Korea has ruled that his additions and alterations to the song were not enough to qualify for copyright protection.

The song is most famous from the viral Pinkfong version. However, the court noted it had been a folk song for at least 15 years, predating both Pinkfong’s and Wright’s versions. Still, Pinkfong’s version has been amazingly successful, with over 16 billion views on YouTube.

2: ‘Coolie’: Rajinikanth Starrer Falls Victim to Piracy, Hours After Grand Release

Next up today, the Times of India reports that the highly anticipated Rajinikanth film Coolie made its debut in theaters, but was almost immediately uploaded to various pirate websites.

According to the report, this includes versions ranging from 240p to 1080p, designed to be viewed on a variety of devices. This raises concerns that the film, despite the hype for it, may struggle at the box office.

India’s burgeoning film scene has been struggling with piracy. Films, like Coolie, often appear almost simultaneously on pirate sites. Though the opening numbers for Coolie appear to be strong, it raises concern about whether it will continue to do well as the pirated copies proliferate.

3: Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay: Impoverished Streaming Services Are Driving Viewers Back to Piracy

Finally, today, Gabriel Rindborg at The Guardian reports that visits to pirate sites are on the rise as users complain about the “enshittification” of streaming.

According to a report by MUSO, visits to pirate sites reached an all-time low in 2020, with 130 billion visits. However, by 2024, that number had grown to 216 billion. In Sweden, home of both The Pirate Bay and Spotify, 25 percent of people admitted to pirating content, with younger people driving that growth.

A significant part of this trend, according to those interviewed, is the rising cost and shrinking libraries of streaming services. Users need more subscriptions than ever, with their prices increasing, but still often struggle to find the content they want.

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