HYBE America Inc., the U.S. branch of the Korean entertainment giant behind BTS, is facing a federal lawsuit from influential contemporary artist Daniel Arsham, who claims his work was used without permission in a music video featuring rapper Quavo—an artist under HYBE’s subsidiary label, Quality Control Music (QC).
Filed on March 31st in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the suit names HYBE America, QC, Quavo, and five unnamed individuals. Arsham alleges copyright infringement and violation of his right of publicity over the unauthorized use of his 2018 sculpture, Quartz Eroded 1961 Ferrari GT.
The set sculpture appeared prominently in a music video posted by Quavo to Instagram and TikTok on December 16th of last year accompanied by the caption “Back To The Basics 2025!!” The artwork remained clearly visible throughout the video, which was later reshared across multiple social media platforms. In a follow-up post, Quavo even tagged Arsham’s official account.
Arsham accuses the defendants of deliberately using his artwork—and, by extension, his reputation—for commercial gain.
Despite repeatedly sending takedown requests, Arsham claims he received no response. He says the incident caused both reputational and financial damage. The complaint further alleges that HYBE America was directly or indirectly involved in the distribution of the video and failed to intervene despite being aware of the infringement.
Citing federal copyright law and New York Civil Rights Law, Arsham is pursuing four counts of legal action: direct infringement, vicarious infringement, contributory infringement, and violation of personality rights. He’s seeking monetary damages and a court order to halt further use or distribution of the content. A jury trial has also been requested.
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