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| ‘Haoyun Lai’ Copyright Row Ends in Costly Defeat for Siba Media (Photo: SNH48) |
The long-running contract clash between Wanchai Ferry parent company General Mills and SNH48’s agency, Shanghai Siba Media (STAR48), has finally wrapped up — and the court wasn’t gentle. A newly released ruling confirms that Siba must compensate General Mills after a messy copyright issue derailed what was supposed to be a straightforward brand–idol collaboration.
This whole saga began with a perfectly standard “Artist Promotion Cooperation Contract”, under which SNH48 members would front promotional campaigns for Wanzai Ferry products.
Siba, acting as the management agency, was responsible for supplying the promotional content — including the use of music for advertising.
All went smoothly until May 2019, when a composer surnamed Qi filed a lawsuit claiming his work, the song Haoyun Lai (好运来 / Good Luck), had been used in the campaign without proper licensing.
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The track itself is no obscure B-side — it’s a coupling song off SNH48’s 18th EP Sweet Festival, featuring Zu Hai and credited to lyricist Che Xing, composer Qi JianBo, and arranger Zhang HongGuang.
By May 2023, the court had ruled that General Mills had indeed infringed copyright, ordering the company to pay 335,500 yuan in damages.
According to General Mills, that wasn’t even the full cost of the fallout — they also had to cover roughly 300,000 yuan in legal and miscellaneous fees, pushing total losses beyond 340,000 yuan.
General Mills argued that, under their agreement, Siba was responsible for ensuring music used in promotional materials was cleared appropriately.
While Siba did pay the court-ordered compensation, they refused to reimburse the additional legal costs. A formal demand letter was sent on 15 March 2024 and signed for the next day — but no payment followed.
Siba’s defence? The legal fees were “too high” and should be adjusted.
They maintained that they handled the music usage according to the contract and that some of the expenses shouldn’t fall on them.
After weighing both sides, the court sided with General Mills, ordering Siba to pay more than 320,000 yuan — a sum covering both compensation and legal expenses. The ruling effectively closes the book on a partnership that became far more complicated than either side ever intended.