Court rules in favor of Adore on contract validity; rejects retaliation claim and copying allegations

In a decision handed down on the morning of October 30, the Seoul Central District Court’s 41st Civil Division ruled in favor of Adore in a case seeking a declaration of the exclusive contract’s validity with NewJeans. The court also rejected Min Hee-jin’s assertion that HYBE conducted a retaliatory audit.

It determined that Min Hee-jin was the first to launch allegations that Ailit and Le Sserafim copied NewJeans, and to wage a public relations campaign. It added that the public relations drive after April 3 and 11, 2024 was led by Min Hee-jin and that HYBE’s audit was lawful.

The court stated that there were some conceptual similarities with Ailit’s NewJeans concept, but not enough to be considered copying, and that the concept of a female idol group’s image is not readily protected by publicity rights or IP; even if Adore had not responded, it would not be a material breach of the contract. It also dismissed HYBE officials’ demeaning statements as not aimed at defaming NewJeans.

Earlier, Min Hee-jin had criticized HYBE by alleging conflicts with Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, restrictions on NewJeans’ promotions, and copying of NewJeans concepts by Ailit. With the ruling, NewJeans’ independence prospects are temporarily constrained.

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