The world’s largest Okay-pop firm doesn’t take properly to accusations of plagiarism—even from YouTube fan accounts.
Leisure group Hybe, residence to BTS and different bands, is asking a U.S. court docket to pressure Google to disclose the identities behind seven YouTube accounts. In court documents filed Monday and reported on by Music Business Worldwide, Hybe says that these YouTube accounts issued “defamatory and harassing statements” about two of its ladies teams, Illit and Le Sserafim. It describes the folks behind these YouTube channels as “cyber wreckers.” The corporate is pursuing civil litigation in opposition to the accounts in South Korea. (Neither Hybe nor Google responded to requests for remark.)
The petition seems to be an escalation of one of many largest conflicts in Okay-pop historical past: Hybe’s battle over management of its profitable woman group, NewJeans, whose 5 members just lately held a live stream the place they alleged mistreatment by the corporate. The court docket paperwork filed by Hybe are notably centered on figuring out YouTube streamers which have accused Hybe and Illit of “plagiarizing content material” from NewJeans. Illit has been known as out throughout social media in latest months for similarities to the model and sound of NewJeans.
NewJeans, launched by K-pop auteur Min Hee-jin in 2022 underneath her sub-label ADOR, has been a large success for Hybe. The corporate made $83 million off NewJeans in 2023, because of the group’s international hit songs and model campaigns with the likes of Apple and Coca-Cola. NewJeans members additionally function model ambassadors for main luxurious labels, together with Chanel, Gucci, Burberry, Dior, and Louis Vuitton. The combination of artistic and enterprise savvy earned Hybe and ADOR a spot on Quick Firm’s checklist of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024.
However Min and Hybe have spent the previous a number of months combating over ADOR and NewJeans. This spring, Hybe launched an investigation into whether or not Min was making an attempt to wrest management of the label and take it unbiased. Min, in flip, accused Hybe of launching Illit as a competing woman group, whereas making an attempt to drive her from the corporate. She released a statement in April declaring that Hybe is “blinded by short-term income and is mass-producing unoriginality by copying profitable cultural content material with out hesitation.”
Min held a novel function as CEO and producer of ADOR, dealing with each the enterprise and artistic of NewJeans. Fast Company spoke with her at length in a multi-hour interview from November 2023—earlier than these controversies began. “Typically, folks separate the artistic facet and the enterprise facet. However I believed that the 2 issues needed to be collectively with a view to be good,” she stated.
After months of stress and investigation into Min’s practices at ADOR, the label introduced that Min would step down as CEO in late August, although she would nonetheless fulfill her artistic roles. The 5 members of NewJeans responded earlier this week by launching a live stream on YouTube (on an account unrelated to Hybe’s new go well with), the place they highlighted their mistreatment by Hybe and known as for the reinstatement of their founder by September 25. Hybe’s shares dropped 6.2% following the stream.
This case isn’t the primary time Hybe has requested U.S. courts to pressure YouTube to launch the identities of individuals besmirching its artists. ADOR, underneath Min, made similar demands earlier this year.