HYBE has lost the first round of its damages lawsuit against a media company tied to controversial YouTube rumor channels.
On May 8th, the Seoul Western District Court ruled against HYBE and its affiliates in a lawsuit seeking 280 million won (roughly $190,000) in damages from content production company Fastview. The court also ordered HYBE to cover all legal fees related to the case. The court’s detailed reasoning has not yet been made public.
HYBE originally filed the lawsuit in 2024, alleging that several so-called “cyber wrecker” YouTube channels — the ones quick to capitalize on controversies — had spread false information about HYBE artists.
Fastview was identified as the operator behind two of the channels in question. Videos uploaded to the channels reportedly included claims that rookie girl group ILLIT had copied other artists, as well as allegations linking HYBE and some of its artists to a specific religious organization.
>> HYBE to Respond Legally to Online Allegations Connecting BTS to Cult Activities
HYBE previously denied the claims and filed a criminal complaint with the police in 2024. In May of last year, a former Fastview team leader identified only as “A” was reportedly referred to prosecutors on charges including defamation.
The same YouTube creator had also alleged connections between BTS and the religious group Dahn World, claims that BigHit Music publicly denied at the time.
In an official statement released June 28th, 2024, BigHit Music said, “We are continuing regular legal action regarding BTS. We once again state that the malicious rumors surrounding the artist are false. We also clearly confirm once again that neither our company nor BTS has any connection or affiliation with Dahn World.”
Separately, NewJeans is now facing a plagiarism lawsuit over its 2024 single “How Sweet.”
According to Billboard, four songwriters including Audrey Armacost filed a lawsuit claiming that “How Sweet” copied their demo track “One of a Kind.” The plaintiffs reportedly alleged that both songs share the same 4/4 time signature and B-flat minor key, along with a similar melodic progression spanning roughly eight bars.
ADOR responded to the claims by saying it confirmed with producer group BANA, who worked on the track, that there was no plagiarism involved.
“The composer and producer of the song maintains that there was no plagiarism,” the agency said in a statement. “ADOR and the members also plan to respond to the lawsuit based on BANA’s statement.”
In the meantime, watch trending K-dramas for free on Amasian TV.
Source (1)
