Kokoa TV, an illegal Korean broadcast content distributor in North America, was shut down by the court.
The court’s move is expected to impact other illegal websites of similar kinds operating in the region.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona issued an order to Tumi Max, the operator of Kokoa TV, to shut down the site on February 6.
Kokoa TV has been distributing not only Korean television content but also those of Netflix and Disney in the Americas through illegal streaming services.
The lawsuit was filed against Tumi Max on August 30 last year by Wavve America, an online video-on-demand company that was founded as a joint venture between three Korean terrestrial broadcasting companies. It holds the exclusive rights to distribute Korean terrestrial broadcast content in the Americas.
The ruling came about five months after the lawsuit was filed, indicating that the court recognized the seriousness of the case and acted promptly to shut down the illegal content distribution organization.
The court ruled that the defendant, Tumi Max’s attempt to profit from Kokoa TV was motivated by bad faith and that the plaintiffs will suffer irreparable financial harm if the defendant is allowed to continue its operations.
Tumi Max has been using “kokoa” as the name of the illegal website. This name was very similar in pronunciation to the legal site Kocowa.com, which is operated by Wavve America.
As a result of the ruling, Kokoa TV has to shut down its website and pay all legal fees.
“Due to Defendant’s willful infringement of its property rights, Plaintiff is entitled to all costs of the litigation,” according to the ruling, “and Plaintiff has 30 days to submit a claim to the court for attorney’s fees and costs associated with the litigation.”
There are currently more than a dozen illegal K-content streaming services targeting Koreans in the U.S., and some of them are operating for a fee, such as membership fees.
The industry is also paying attention to the impact of the ruling on future illegal companies.
In the Americas, there is currently only one Korean-language online video service company that operates legally, OnDemand Korea.
The company said, “People should look out because paid membership doesn’t always mean it’s legal.”
“This ruling sends a strong warning that we will no longer tolerate the distribution of illegal content in the United States,” said a representative of OnDemand Korea. “We hope that viewers enjoy Korean content with peace of mind through legitimate companies, rather than unsafe illegal sites.”
BY YEOL JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
