Exclusive: Peppa Pig owner slams 'groundless' Vietnam lobbying

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Exclusive: Peppa Pig owner slams 'groundless' Vietnam lobbying

Peppa story-comp.jpg

The claims come after the Vietnamese government was told that YouTube’s policies have caused damage to the maker of the ‘Wolfoo’ cartoon

The Peppa Pig franchise owner has written to the Vietnamese government in response to ministers being asked to stop YouTube from taking down allegedly infringing material, it has been revealed this week.

In a letter sent to several departments, including the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Science and Technology, UK-based eOne described requests by the Vietnam Digital Communications Association (VDCA) as “totally groundless and unreasonable”.

The entertainment company said ministers had essentially been told to intervene in Google and YouTube’s international copyright policies.

The letter said: “While we are not speaking on behalf of YouTube, we learned from YouTube's terms of service that any right holders (including eOne) have the right to file a complaint, requesting for removal or blocking of a content from the platform if the right holder believes that the distribution of that content infringes upon their rights.”

It also clarified that at no time had eOne attempted to claim ownership of any Wolfoo episodes, which are produced by SConnect, a company embroiled in a trademark and copyright dispute with eOne.

It added: “It is our strong belief that SConnect's request to the ministers are totally groundless and unreasonable. Any disagreements or disputes on the issues is not an administrative but a civil matter that should be resolved by a competent court.”

Earlier this month, the VDCA – an industry body focused on protecting and developing digital technology – said it had contacted YouTube-owner Google and the Vietnamese government on behalf of video maker SConnect.

The VDCA claimed that eOne’s takedown requests related to SConnect’s Wolfoo cartoon, and the subsequent acceptance of said requests, were causing heavy damage.

The dispute forms part of an ongoing battle between eOne and SConnect. In January, eOne sued SConnect at the England and Wales High Court. It alleged copyright and trademark infringement and passing off.

SConnect is the creator of various YouTube shows, including Wolfoo, which features a cartoon wolf and its friends.

In its submissions, the VDCA asked the government to consider the “heavy damage” SConnect was suffering from intermediaries such as YouTube and Facebook acting on takedown requests.

It suggested that the status quo of both companies should remain intact until a formal ruling from the High Court.

It also wrote to Lien Nguyen, a Vietnam-based senior policy adviser at Google, asking YouTube to support SConnect’s business operations in Vietnam.

Managing IP has contacted the VDCA for comment.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Managing IP will help mark IP Inclusive’s 10th anniversary by co-hosting a new podcast series covering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the IP profession
Tim Gilman, who joined Kasowitz alongside three other partners, says he is excited to be part of the firm’s ‘elite’ litigation team
A backlash against a White House video promoting deportation and Casalonga opening a new office in Düsseldorf were also among the top talking points
The firm has brought on board two counsel and an associate to complement two previously revealed partner hires
Bradford Newman, who has joined the firm’s new Silicon Valley office as head of complex technology disputes, discusses plans to build the practice group and attract local talent
Managing IP summarises the highlights from the IP STARS rankings for copyright and IP transactions work, the final firm rankings release of the year
Developments included the first judgment from the Nordic Baltic division, an injunction covering the UK, and a new code of conduct
Alston & Bird acted for InterDigital, while Samsung was represented by Fish & Richardson, during the arbitration process
Powell Gilbert lawyers reveal how they navigated parallel EPO proceedings and collaborated with European peers to come out on top in the Nordic-Baltic Division’s first judgment
The firms posted increases in revenue and profit per equity partner, with both giving a nod to their IP expertise
Gift this article