A California jury made the award after unanimously finding BabyBus’ ‘Super JoJo’ YouTube series willfully infringed dozens of registered copyrights and knowingly submitted fraudulent counter notifications.
Moonbug has been awarded over $23.5 million in damages plus legal costs in the Northern District of California for its copyright infringement lawsuit against BabyBus.
After a 3-week trial in San Francisco, the jury unanimously found that BabyBus’ Super JoJo YouTube series willfully infringed dozens of Moonbug’s registered copyrights from its hit franchise CoComelon, including the protected characters JJ and his family. It also found that BabyBus had violated 17 U.S.C. 512(f) of the DMCA by submitting knowingly fraudulent counter notifications, the first time a jury has ever reached such a conclusion in the history of the DMCA.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the jury’s unanimous verdict that Babybus’ Super JoJo series willfully infringes our copyrights in CoComelon – which is created with so much love and care by our incredibly talented team,” said Rob Miller, Chief Legal Officer of Moonbug. “This verdict should serve as a warning that Moonbug will not stand by and allow infringers to free ride off our success, including by making a carbon copy of our beloved JJ character, which is so loved by children across the globe.”
Back in March, Moonbug was granted a partial summary judgment with the determination that the central character of JJ is a protectable character.
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
