South Korea’s Supreme Court has delivered a decisive verdict in the long-running copyright dispute over the global children’s sensation “Baby Shark,” ruling that the South Korean version produced by Pinkfong did not violate copyright law. This decision, handed down on August 14, 2025, marks the conclusion of a six-year legal battle initiated by American composer Jonathan Wright—known professionally as Johnny Only—who alleged that Pinkfong’s wildly popular rendition plagiarized his own 2011 version of the song.
Wright, a New York-based musician, filed the lawsuit in Seoul in 2019, seeking 30 million won (about $21,600 or €18,500) in damages. He claimed that Pinkfong’s 2015 release, which catapulted the “Baby Shark” phenomenon to international stardom, was directly derivative of his earlier arrangement. However, as reported by The New York Times and confirmed by the Supreme Court’s own statements, both versions drew from a traditional children’s song that has been a staple at summer camps and kindergartens in the United States for decades.
The court’s ruling was clear: “In case of a new song based on a preexisting one, one needs to add sufficient revision for it to be socially accepted as a new work, in order for it to be protected as a copyrighted material. … Minor changes added to the original material cannot be considered an original creative work, and thus cannot be protected by the copyright law,” the Supreme Court stated, as cited by The Korea Herald.
This legal principle—that minimally altered versions of folk melodies are not eligible for copyright protection—was at the heart of the decision. The Supreme Court upheld the findings of lower courts from 2021 and 2023, which had already concluded that Wright’s version did not sufficiently differ from the original folk tune to qualify as a distinct creative work. In its detailed explanation, the court reinforced that “the plaintiff’s song did not involve substantial modifications to the folk tune to the extent that it could be regarded, by common social standards, as a separate work.”
Pinkfong, the company behind the viral hit, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. In a statement to the Associated Press, Pinkfong emphasized that its “Baby Shark” was based on a “traditional singalong chant” in the public domain, which the company transformed by adding “an upbeat rhythm and catchy melody, turning it into the pop culture icon it is today.” The company’s creative approach, combining the familiar melody with vibrant animation and a five-member shark family—Baby Shark, Mama Shark, Papa Shark, Grandma Shark, and Grandpa Shark—has captured the imaginations of children and parents worldwide.
Indeed, Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark Dance” video, released in 2016, became the first YouTube video to reach 10 billion views and now boasts over 16 billion views, making it the most-watched video on the platform. The song’s infectious “doo doo doo doo doo doo” refrain has become a cultural touchstone, even peaking at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. The brand’s reach extends far beyond the internet: Pinkfong has spun the success of “Baby Shark” into TV and Netflix shows, movies, smartphone apps, and globally touring musicals. According to regulatory filings, the company earned 45.1 billion won ($32.6 million) in revenue in the first half of 2025 alone, underscoring the enduring commercial power of the franchise.
For Jonathan Wright, the verdict brought a disappointing end to a lengthy legal effort. His South Korean attorney, Chong Kyong-sok, acknowledged the outcome, telling the Associated Press, “It’s our work that came out first, so we can handle the licensing on our side and I guess we then each go our separate ways.” Chong added, “Anyway, the matter is now settled.” While Wright had sought to assert his claim as the originator of a unique arrangement, the courts consistently found that both he and Pinkfong had drawn from a song widely considered to be in the public domain, with neither version introducing enough originality to warrant exclusive copyright protection.
The roots of “Baby Shark” stretch back to the 20th century, when the melody was already a familiar singalong at American summer camps. Over the years, the tune has been arranged and adapted countless times, with lyrics and style varying by performer and context. Wright’s 2011 version was tailored specifically for toddlers, omitting elements that could be seen as violent—a nod to the song’s sometimes grisly campfire renditions. Pinkfong’s approach, by contrast, was to reimagine the song with a modern, upbeat twist and vibrant animation, making it irresistibly shareable in the age of social media.
Legal experts say the Supreme Court’s ruling reaffirms a long-standing principle in copyright law: that works based on preexisting folk material must involve substantial creative transformation to be eligible for protection. As the court itself put it, “The Supreme Court accepts the lower court’s finding that the plaintiff’s song did not involve substantial modifications to the folk tune related to the case to the extent that it could be regarded, by common social standards, as a separate work.” This standard is intended to balance the rights of creators with the public’s interest in maintaining access to cultural works that have been shared and reshaped across generations.
Pinkfong, for its part, has always asserted that its “Baby Shark” was a new arrangement of a traditional song, not a copy of Wright’s version. The company’s statement, following the Supreme Court’s decision, underscored this position: “The ruling confirmed that our version of ‘Baby Shark’ was based on a traditional singalong chant in the public domain.” Pinkfong credited its success to the addition of an “upbeat rhythm and catchy melody,” as well as the imaginative storytelling that brought the shark family to life for a new generation.
The case has drawn attention not only for its high stakes and international profile, but also for the broader questions it raises about creativity, originality, and the boundaries of copyright in the digital era. As music and media companies continue to mine the public domain for inspiration, the “Baby Shark” ruling serves as a reminder that not every new arrangement or adaptation will meet the threshold for legal protection—especially when the source material is as ubiquitous and beloved as a children’s camp song.
With the legal dispute now resolved, both Wright and Pinkfong are free to continue sharing their versions of “Baby Shark” with the world. For millions of children (and, let’s be honest, more than a few adults), the song’s cheerful melody and playful lyrics remain as irresistible as ever—proof that sometimes, the simplest tunes have the greatest staying power.