Overview

• The Supreme Court dismissed U.S. composer Jonathan Wright’s last appeal, ending a six-year lawsuit over Pinkfong’s 2015 Baby Shark hit.
• Justices upheld earlier decisions that Wright’s 2011 version did not demonstrate enough original creative expression to qualify for copyright.
• The court found no substantial similarity between Wright’s arrangement and Pinkfong’s song, noting divergent musical measures and added vocals and instrumentation.
• Expert testimony from the Korea Copyright Commission was pivotal in determining that neither rendition introduced new accompaniment beyond the traditional children’s melody.
• Pinkfong said the verdict affirms its rendition as an independent adaptation of a public-domain chant that evolved into a global phenomenon.