Tiktok tiff: Thai singer takes legal note after Filipino plagarises song

A Thai singer filed a lawsuit against a Filipino TikToker for plagiarising one of his songs. The Filipino, Shad, allegedly put a translated version of the song up for sale without giving credit or obtaining a license.

Drama emerged on Thai social media after the Filipino TikToker offered a translated version of a song by Chetkit “Phon” Thunmark called พี่ชอบหนูที่สุดเลย (I Like You The Most), under his name on various streaming platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, and the South Korean application Melon.

Shad released three versions of the song, including the normal, fast, and slowed-down versions, but never credited Phon or bought the license. Each version of the song is available on Apple Music for 19 baht each.

Many netizens, especially from the Philippines, believed that Shad held the copyright to the song. Some even accused Phon of stealing the beats and melody from Shad, sparking controversy across social media platforms.

Phon’s song, I Like You The Most, was launched about four months ago and went viral on Thai TikTok. Its popularity spread further among South Korean netizens after Chittaphon “Ten” Leechaiyapornkul, a Thai member of the South Korean boy band NCT, released a dance video with this song.

Hannah Rosenbloom, a Laotian-American member of Thai girl group 4EVE, translated the song into English and released a video of herself singing it on her TikTok account.

Shad later posted a video of himself singing the English version on his TikTok account and subsequently put his cover versions for sale on various platforms without crediting Phon.

Thai netizens condemned Shad for allegedly stealing the work of the Thai singer, prompting them to contact music streaming platforms to remove Shad’s versions of the song.

Phon publicly addressed the issue and confirmed that he is taking legal action against Shad for plagiarism. He recently shared a picture of an angry cat on his Instagram.

“I only accept apologies in cash.”

Shad’s versions of the song are still available on platforms, and he has yet to address the issue with his fans. Shad’s versions are now ranking second on the international Spotify Viral Song chart and the top of the Spotify Viral Song chart in the Philippines.