Let's Enjoy K-content Copyright Protection Loved All Over the World!

Park Geun-hee, CEO of KOCOWA

Q1. Hello, Mr. Park. Could you provide a brief introduction of KOCOWA?

KOCOWA is the brand name of the representative video OTT platform and service of the Korean Wave, which was named after the English spelling of Korea Content Wave, “Hallyu”. At the time of its inception, three big Korean broadcasting companies did not have much time to address all of the OTT business’s outstanding challenges while also expanding and advancing overseas. As a result, KOCOWA was found to take a baby step even overseas first so as not to miss out on the expanding value of K-content. Unlike many past efforts focused on Korean citizens abroad, we initially sought to create a market for local mainstream audiences. Korea Content Platform (KCP) was found in November 2016 and headquartered in Los Angeles, U.S. In July 2017, the B2C platform was completed within a very short period of time and the service was officially launched.

To address the limited capital and maximize brand experience in the early stages of the establishment, KOCOWA launched B2B2C products as a platform-in-platform (PIP) right after the launch of B2C services. It also launched B2B products for mainstream audiences in the United States, quickly spreading the viewing experience under the KOCOWA brand name to average households. Currently, KOCOWA's B2C partners include Comcast, the largest cable operator in North America, Amazon Prime Video, a worldwide OTT platform, and Verizon, the largest telecommunications company in the United States, who are partners of KOCOWA to broaden the Hallyu viewing experience. 

I believe that we have been able to gather market data for the past seven years through these various types of products and services, and we have benefitted over the last three years from examined data. We recently have entered the Europe and Oceania areas and are in the process of gaining a better understanding of the current market while gathering new market data. 

Q2. Because K-content is popular in North and South America, where KOCOWA is available, I’ve heard that illegal distribution websites are also emerging to take advantage of it. What type of damage are these illegal websites causing?

The most significant damage is the immediate decrease in sales of OTT businesses based on paid subscriptions, such as KOCOWA, due to illegal distribution and services. 

Previously, Korean content producers (CPs) and studios sold their content licenses to local broadcasting companies and platforms, making it difficult to evaluate the direct damage caused by copyright infringement. Furthermore, because illicit distribution websites illegally distribute the majority of the content aired in Korea, it was difficult for Korean content copyright holders to identify the principal participants in the costly crackdown. They were often unable to promptly respond to the emergence of specific illegal websites overseas. 

However, KOCOWA, as a paid-subscription platform, was able to more accurately identify the extent of such damage. Based on this, we immediately responded to illegal distribution. I believe that the shutdown of many illegal distribution websites has actively protected not only the contents of the three major Korean TV broadcasting companies, who are our shareholders, but also the copyrights of more than 30 studios and CP companies that are partnering with us. Furthermore, we are proud to be able to help safeguard the rights of non-affiliated copyright holders as well as the rights of worldwide platforms.

Q3. We learned through the Korea Copyright Protection Agency's Customized Overseas Copyright Voucher Support Project, that a US court has ordered the service of illegal K-content distribution websites to be terminated. How did you do this?

The Korea Copyright Protection Agency asked me for guidance on a project to help eradicate illegal distribution overseas. As a result, we explained the current status of illegal distribution in the United States and informed them that because the damage to local platforms like ours as fee-based direct service providers is obvious, it is more efficient to offer information about legal responses as well as illegal website eradication services centered on local service platforms. 

To this end, the Korea Copyright Protection Agency informed us of the best assistance we could obtain. We were able to reduce legal costs associated with obtaining a forced shutdown order from a U.S. court for the illegal distribution of K-content.