Korea Music Copyright Association files lawsuit against major streaming video site, two sides in conflict over copyright fees = Korea

The Korea Music Copyright Association (KMAA) announced that investment company SK Square and the over-the-top (OTT) platform Wavve, operated by three terrestrial broadcasting stations, will release music produced by the KMAA.
The company filed a lawsuit for damages at the Seoul Central District Court for unauthorized use (copyright infringement). According to the Japan Music Association, Wavve owes a total of 40 billion won (approximately 4,142,620,000 yen) in unpaid copyright fees.
The amount of the unpaid royalties has exceeded 10 million yen, but Wavve has refused to pay for several years. The Japan Onsyu Association claims that Wavve should pay a "copyright infringement penalty" of 15% on top of the unpaid royalties.
The association currently charges the OTT industry 1.5% per year in copyright fees, but plans to raise this to 1.995% from 2026.
They claim that it is unfair to impose such high copyright fees only on OTT, while TV and IP broadcasters are only charged 0.625% of the programs they broadcast.
A Wavve representative said, "Although we need to discuss the standards for collecting copyright fees, the Japan Association of Authors has decided not to do so.
"They are ignoring our requests and are even demanding the submission of documents related to trade secrets that are unrelated to the association. We ask that they stop this lawsuit that is full of unreasonable claims and engage in sincere negotiations."