Core Viewpoint - NetEase Cloud Music has filed a lawsuit against South Korea's SM Entertainment for alleged abuse of market dominance, with the court hearing scheduled for August 6 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province [1]. Group 1: Legal Actions - The lawsuit involves Hangzhou LeDu Technology Co., Ltd. and Hangzhou NetEase Cloud Music Technology Co., Ltd. against SM Entertainment Co., L*, and Kasmong (Shanghai) Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. [1]. - The case is set to be heard in the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court [1]. Group 2: Historical Context - NetEase Cloud Music announced on January 24 that it might have to remove all songs from SM Entertainment due to the copyright holder's unilateral decision not to renew the contract [4]. - The collaboration between NetEase Cloud Music and SM Entertainment began in 2018, but issues arose in 2019 when SM Entertainment signed a strategic partnership with Tencent Music Entertainment Group, leading to the removal of SM songs from NetEase's platform [4]. Group 3: Recent Developments - In 2021, the National Market Regulation Administration issued a "declaration" to stop exclusive copyrights, allowing NetEase Cloud Music to re-establish its partnership with SM Entertainment in June 2022, regaining full music copyright [5]. - The CEO of NetEase, Ding Lei, referred to this signing as a "return" of SM Entertainment's copyrights to the platform [5]. Group 4: Financial Performance - In 2024, NetEase Cloud Music's online music service revenue reached 5.35 billion yuan, a 23.1% increase from 4.35 billion yuan in the previous year, driven by a growing membership base [6]. - Membership subscription revenue amounted to 4.46 billion yuan, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 22.2%, while content service costs decreased from 4.6 billion yuan in 2023 to 4 billion yuan in 2024 [6]. - In 2024, NetEase Cloud Music signed copyright agreements with major Korean music companies, including JYP Entertainment, Kakao Entertainment, and CJ Entertainment, as well as with prominent Chinese musician Li Jian [6].
网易云音乐起诉韩国SM娱乐