A London High Court judge has mandated the removal of all videos featuring the animated character Wolfoo from platforms like YouTube. The ruling follows a successful copyright infringement lawsuit brought by Hasbro, the parent company of Peppa Pig, against the Vietnamese animation studio SConnect.
Mr. Justice Smith determined that Wolfoo creators had extensively and persistently used unauthorized audio clips from Peppa Pig, including iconic phrases such as “hooray!” The judge ordered that all affected content be scrubbed from the internet by 16:00 BST on Monday. This decision applies globally across all World Trade Organisation member states.
Entertainment One and Astley Baker Davies Ltd initiated the legal action in 2022, arguing that SConnect intentionally misled young viewers by implying a connection between Wolfoo and Peppa Pig. While SConnect contended that a third-party contractor was responsible for the unlicensed audio and claimed subsequent productions were created in-house, the court dismissed these defenses. The judge noted that evidence of audio theft was found in nearly every English-language Wolfoo video sampled, as well as the majority of their foreign-language counterparts.
Representing Hasbro, Andrew Lee of the law firm Brandsmiths hailed the verdict as a vital step in protecting the integrity of the Peppa Pig brand on an international scale. The ruling effectively halts the widespread unauthorized use of protected intellectual property across 166 countries.