On June 28th, Big Hit Music, the agency of BTS, shared an announcement on the fan community Weverse titled “Update Notice on Legal Proceedings Against Violation of Artist Rights.”
Prior to this, BTS had been caught up in numerous rumors, such as marketing manipulation and accusations of being involved in a cult. In response, Big Hit Music stated that they had previously addressed these false and unfounded rumors in separate statements in April and May. They also mentioned that they have been gathering evidence against those who were involved in spreading these organized rumors and have included them in their complaints.
Big Hit Music clarified that BTS has no association with Body & Brain and stated, “Rumors claiming a connection between the artist or their lyrics and Body & Brain are false. Upon discovering Body & Brain’s unauthorized use of BTS’s intellectual property, we promptly requested the removal of the content and received assurance that it will not happen again. We want to reiterate that we will take swift legal action to protect the artists’ intellectual property rights if similar issues arise in the future.”They also addressed rumors of chart manipulation and unethical marketing, stating that they are completely fabricated and have no connection to the artist.
Big Hit Music is also taking legal action against individuals who have infringed upon the privacy of the artists.
The agency announced that they are pursuing both civil and criminal legal action against individuals who engage in cyber vandalism, including “Sojang”. They stated that in 2022, they filed a lawsuit against Sojang for defamatory statements and interference with their business. Initially, the investigative agency had chosen to suspend the case, but after the agency’s persistent request and provision of personal information about Sojang, the case has been reopened and is presently under investigation. Furthermore, the agency has also filed a separate civil suit earlier this year in pursuit of damages for Sojang’s defamatory remarks and other unlawful activities. The case is expected to go to trial in the near future.
Currently, Sojang is being sued for defamation by several celebrities including Jang Won-young and Kang Daniel. In December of last year, Jang Won-young and Starship Entertainment achieved a partial victory in their 100 million won damages lawsuit against Sojang. Despite this, Sojang has filed an appeal and the appeal trial is scheduled to continue in September.
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