The Korea Music Copyright Association has filed a civil lawsuit worth 40 billion KRW against the domestic online streaming service (OTT) platform, Wavve.
According to the association on the 27th, a lawsuit was filed on the 11th with the Seoul Central District Court against Wavve for unauthorized use of copyrighted works managed by the association, alleging copyright infringement. The reason cited is that “Wavve has been refusing to pay royalties for years.”
The total unpaid copyright fees exceed 40 billion KRW. The association estimated the unpaid fees based on Wavve’s reported revenue and subscriber data from 2011 to 2022, applying the standard for calculating music copyright fees.
The Korea Music Copyright Association claims that “Wavve must pay the unpaid fees plus a 15% surcharge for infringement.” They further explained, “We had no choice but to decide on legal action, as there is no other way to compensate for creators’ losses.”
The association criticized that “even though the total unpaid fees from major domestic OTT operators have surpassed 100 billion KRW, they are not cooperating in paying the copyright fees.” They added, “Despite losing an administrative lawsuit in 2022 against the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to cancel the approval for music copyright fee collection regulations, these operators are still not cooperating in paying copyright fees.”