Children’s audio storytelling brand Dad’s Storytelling faces a copyright controversy as its operating company, Little Ear Culture Media, confirmed that 305 audiobooks infringed on third-party intellectual property.
What You Need to Know About the Infringement Crisis
- Little Ear Culture Media confirmed via an attorney statement on October 14 that 305 episodes across four major series infringed on external copyrights due to a historical lack of rigorous script screening.
- Founder Hua Ba resigned as Chief Executive Officer and completely exited the operations team, with a board restructuring scheduled within a month.
- Paid subscribers affected by the content pull are eligible for a three-month subscription extension and can apply for refunds through the platform app or customer service channels until November 14.
Four Major Audio Series Pulled From All Distribution Channels
The controversy emerged after fellow creators, including the rival brand Tell Stories Together, flagged overlaps between Dad’s Storytelling episodes and Chinese audio platforms such as Kaishu Storytelling. According to the legal statement issued by An-Zheng International Law Firm on behalf of Little Ear Culture Media, the company’s early operations suffered from a lack of copyright verification protocols. This operational oversight allowed large sections of classic literature adaptations to match existing written works without editorial intervention.
Following a comprehensive internal audit, the company verified that 305 episodes across four distinct programs violated intellectual property rights: Dad Tells Journey to the West (87 episodes), Dad Tells the Three Kingdoms (43 episodes), the Classic Fairy Tales Series (115 episodes), and the Celebrity Stories Series (60 episodes). All affected audio files have been completely scrubbed from the brand’s mobile application, official website, and external partner channels. Company representatives have appointed legal counsel to contact affected copyright holders—including Kaishu Storytelling and Shaohong Dad Tells Ancient and Modern—to issue formal apologies and negotiate compensation terms.
| Affected Series | Removed Episode Count | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Dad Tells Journey to the West | 87 | Withdrawn; new version delayed |
| Classic Fairy Tales Series | 115 | Withdrawn from all channels |
| Celebrity Stories Series | 60 | Withdrawn from all channels |
| Dad Tells the Three Kingdoms | 43 | Withdrawn from all channels |
Executive Resignation and Overhauled Content Controls
In response to the controversy, founder Hua Ba relinquished his executive responsibilities and stepped down from the management team. Little Ear Culture Media announced plans to overhaul its board of directors within the next month to establish stricter corporate oversight.
To prevent future legal breaches, the company instituted a three-step internal review pipeline requiring source documentation tracking, text comparison checks, and dual-editor sign-offs before any adapted script receives clearance for production. Furthermore, staff will undergo mandatory copyright legal education. Programs deemed original—such as Fly, Pipe!, Dinosaur Elementary School, and Detective Hachiki—remain accessible to listeners, as their original status was not identified as a concern.
Subscriber Compensation and Schedule Disruptions
The sudden removal of content triggered adjustments to the platform’s consumer offerings and publishing calendar. All active paid subscribers will receive an automatic three-month membership extension credited to their accounts within one to three business days. Subscribers seeking cash refunds must submit their requests through the application’s ticketing system or customer service email before November 14.
Additional programming changes include the termination of distribution agreements for third-party collaborations such as Tell Stories Together, Forest Play Song, and Dongdong Detective. The launch of the revised Dad Tells Journey to the West, initially slated for October 20, is postponed; the original IP Detective Hachiki Season 2 will proceed with its scheduled premiere on October 18. System maintenance originally planned for October 14 was pushed back to October 23 to accommodate the automated compensation rollout.
