🔗 2024-11-29 Team Bunnies Notice

Through a news article this morning, I read the full text of the Certification of Contents sent by ADOR Co., Ltd. to NewJeans on November 29, which took the form of a reply to the ‘Demand for Rectification of Violations of the Exclusive Contract.’

Sending a reply to the Certification of Contents dated November 13, 2024, so that it arrives on November 29—after the deadline specified in the Certification of Contents had already passed—raises doubts about whether you truly have the will to implement the corrective actions.

In the beginning of the document, ADOR stated the following: “ADOR and all employees of ADOR have been making their best efforts in every way possible to support the entertainment activities of NewJeans, ADOR’s precious IP and pride, and as a result, NewJeans was able to grow into a top-tier team not only domestically but also internationally within a short period.”

These achievements were made under the management of former CEO Min Hee-jin and the internal directors at that time, not by Ms. Kim Ju-young, who took office as CEO within the last three months, or the new ADOR internal directors filled with pro-HYBE personnel.

While even you acknowledge these dazzling achievements, for what reason on earth did you dismiss former CEO Min Hee-jin? Also, what is the reason you are ignoring NewJeans’ demand to ‘reinstate former CEO Min Hee-jin as CEO’? It is truly regrettable that there is no explanation for this anywhere in the Certification of Contents.

Furthermore, ADOR took no action even though BELIFT LAB tarnished the artists’ reputation by posting a statement to the effect that our artists were lying. When NewJeans and their parents requested the posting of a statement refuting this, ADOR rejected the request citing “continued disputes” as the reason. Are you saying that posting a statement refuting the claims of another label asserting that your own artists are “lying” falls outside the scope of ADOR’s authority? How does such a measure tarnish the artists’ reputation? If that is the case, why did you post content refuting BELIFT LAB’s statement on November 27?

The Certification of Contents sent by ADOR is full of content so absurd that it makes one’s mouth ache to refute them one by one. This is especially true for the parts related to legal actions. ADOR claims that they requested an external law firm to review the possibility of defamation resulting from BELIFT LAB’s statement but received an opinion that it is “difficult to recognize.” Exactly which law firm did you commission for this review?

Team Bunnies has been in contact with several law firms over the past few weeks to seek legal advice on the possibility of establishing defamation regarding BELIFT LAB’s statement, and not a few law firms gave the answer that “it is sufficiently possible to file a criminal complaint for defamation.” Accordingly, Team Bunnies is preparing to proceed with a third-party criminal complaint in the future.

The excuse that “it is difficult to protest because it is another label and a third party” is also difficult to accept. In the injunction decision last May, the court ruled that “the creditor (Min Hee-jin) sending emails to HYBE raising issues such as similarities with another label was an act of keeping the duty of good faith concluded with NewJeans.” Why is the current ADOR unable to do what former CEO Min Hee-jin did? Since you continue to rely on the former CEO even after that, citing reasons such as “former CEO Min Hee-jin won’t do the producing” or “former CEO Min Hee-jin won’t share data,” it only clarifies the fact that you are an organization that cannot do anything without CEO Min Hee-jin. Yet, the question of why former CEO Min Hee-jin was dismissed only deepens.

I cannot help but scoff at the explanation regarding the lawsuit with Director Shin Woo-seok because it contradicts the claims ADOR made itself. ADOR stated, “According to the exclusive contract, ADOR must ‘take necessary measures to exclude infringement or interference if a third party infringes upon or interferes with the artist’s entertainment activities’ (Article 5, Paragraph 4), and especially if a third party infringes upon ADOR’s copyrights, etc., ADOR ‘may take measures to exclude such infringement at its own responsibility and expense (Article 11).’”

Based on these clauses, you filed a lawsuit against Director Shin Woo-seok even though NewJeans, the party with the portrait rights, did not want it; so what is the reason you did not file a lawsuit regarding the Dispatch video and photo materials, which NewJeans adamantly opposed? According to ADOR’s logic, you would have nothing to say even if this were viewed as a violation of Article 5, Paragraph 4 of the exclusive contract.

Besides this, seeing you ignore materials recognized in the National Assembly audit and the injunction decision while following only HYBE’s claims, I feel a sense of fatigue about where to even begin pointing things out. Feeling as if I am acting as ADOR’s in-house lawyer for free, I will end my writing here.