Watcha Claims "Technology Theft," LG Uplus Responds "Common Features"

Watcha Accuses LG Uplus of Copying Core Features
LG Uplus Denies Allegations, Citing Industry Standards
Dispute Over Technology Theft Escalates Between OTT Rivals

As LG Uplus has launched the beta service for 'U+tv Moa,' the online video service (OTT) provider Watcha has raised objections, claiming that LG Uplus copied its service by stealing core proprietary information. Watcha has stated that it considers this an act of technology theft and intends to hold LG Uplus accountable, while LG Uplus argues that the service is a common offering in the industry.

On December 19, Watcha released a statement saying, "We express serious concerns over LG Uplus launching the beta service for 'U+tv Moa,' which appears to have copied not only the core elements of our content recommendation and rating service 'Watchapedia,' but even its typographical errors."

Photo by Watcha

Watcha claims that U+tv Moa not only mimics Watchapedia by allowing users to rate content, but also copies the overall structure and features of its service. Watcha stated, "They even replicated the design of the button icons and the name of the 'Bogosipeoyo' feature, which Watcha intentionally misspelled and formatted without spaces."

Watcha asserts that LG Uplus used the pretext of investment to misappropriate its technology. Watcha said, "This is not merely an imitation of Watchapedia's appearance. LG Uplus exploited a prolonged investment review process to steal Watcha's core technologies, operational know-how, and trade secrets, then abruptly broke off its investment commitment. LG Uplus is now using technologies suspected to have been acquired from Watcha to enhance its own services."

LG Uplus countered that the features Watcha is contesting are not proprietary trade secrets, but rather common services in the industry. According to LG Uplus, these are standard features typically offered in the media sector. An LG Uplus representative stated, "The 'rating design' and 'comment and review' features cited by Watcha are already widely used in the industry. We do not consider them to be original ideas." Services such as Kinolights, Letterboxd, IMDB, and global OTT platforms like Netflix and Disney+ also provide integrated search, reviews, and information for movies and OTT content.

LG Uplus added, "U+tv Moa is a beta service for our employees, and the launch plans and details have not been finalized. We are deeply concerned about Watcha's motives in disclosing LG Uplus's internal information to the public while alleging trade secret infringement."

The dispute between the two companies is unlikely to end soon. Watcha stated, "We have no choice but to hold LG Uplus legally and ethically responsible. We will take all necessary measures to recover damages and prevent repeated cases of large corporations predating on startup technologies." LG Uplus responded, "On October 13, we requested that Watcha stop making false claims and spreading misinformation to the media. If Watcha continues to disseminate false information, we will consider all possible civil and criminal actions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.