Hasbro, the US entertainment company owning Peppa Pig rights, won a copyright battle against Vietnamese animation Wolfoo. A London high court judge ordered all Wolfoo videos removed from online platforms including YouTube by 4pm BST on Monday, citing "prolific" and "longstanding" copyright infringement.
Court finds compelling evidence of audio copying
The judge stated that copying of audio clips from Peppa Pig was "compelling". Sound clips were found in all 92 examined English-language Wolfoo videos and 75% of foreign-language videos. Wolfoo's makers, SConnect, denied claims, blaming an independent third-party contractor for using sounds without knowledge before mid-2020.
Claims of original sound disproved
Despite SConnect's assertion that videos after mid-2020 used in-house original sounds, the judge said this "can be disproved". The court found copying "extensive, seemingly endemic at least so far as the English-language Wolfoo videos are concerned".
Legal action and broader implications
The 2022 lawsuit by Hasbro and Peppa Pig creator Astley Baker Davies alleged SConnect attempted to deceive viewers aged two to five into thinking Wolfoo is the same as Peppa Pig. While the case focused on audio for easier proof of infringement, SConnect argued the removal order across the UK, EU, and all 166 WTO member states was "too broad". The judge rejected this, ordering global takedown.
Wolfoo, released in 2018, targets children aged two to seven and is available in multiple languages. SConnect and Hasbro have been approached for comment.
