🔗 2025-06-30 ADOR Notice (Update on Legal Response to Infringement of Artist Rights)

[NOTICE] Update on Legal Actions Regarding Infringement of Artist Rights (6.30) (+ENG)

Hello. This is ADOR.

We would like to provide an update on our legal actions to protect the rights of NewJeans.

Since NewJeans’ debut, our company has been continuously monitoring and taking legal action against malicious online posts targeting the artists.

We are constantly gathering evidence of serious rights violations on domestic and international online sites and social media channels, including derogatory remarks about the artists’ nationality and appearance, dissemination of false information (fake news), invasion of privacy, and the use of malicious profanity and derogatory nicknames. We are simultaneously pursuing rapid content removal requests and legal procedures. As a result of these efforts, investigations are currently underway against suspects who have been reported for insult and obscene acts using means of communications. Additionally, some non-member users (commonly known as “anonymous users”) on DCinside have been identified and their cases have been transferred to police stations in their respective jurisdictions.

For overseas platforms such as YouTube, we are obtaining personal information through U.S. courts before proceeding with domestic legal procedures. We are also taking strong action after identifying a malicious YouTuber who repeatedly produced videos containing content that could cause sexual humiliation to the members. The YouTuber in question even requested a settlement during civil litigation proceedings, but our company firmly rejected this request. On June 25, 2025, in the civil damages lawsuit filed against this YouTuber, the court determined that the defendant’s actions constituted a serious violation of personal rights. As a result, a partial victory ruling was issued ordering the defendant to pay a substantial amount in damages to each of the members. Our company will continue to respond firmly to similar cases in accordance with a zero-tolerance policy. Similarly, regarding the criminal proceedings, a suspension of prosecution conditional on completion of an education program was issued against the YouTuber. We determined that a heavier punishment was necessary and have filed an appeal. We will respond strictly until the end to ensure that the YouTuber receives an appropriate punishment.

We are also continuing to respond strictly to deepfake crimes. We are working closely with investigative authorities regarding the production and distribution of fabricated videos targeting our artists. Numerous suspects who produced and distributed deepfakes of the members through channels such as Telegram have received heavy punishments, including imprisonment along with confiscation, community service orders, attendance orders, probation, and employment restrictions at institutions related to children, youth, and persons with disabilities. One suspect in particular attempted to commit the crime using sophisticated methods, including sending deepfake videos via Proton Mail, which is known to be difficult to trace. However, the suspect was apprehended following an active investigation by the authorities.

Fan interest and tips are a great help in our legal efforts. We ask for your active reporting regarding any infringement of artist rights through the “HYBE Artist Rights Protection Reporting Site (protect.hybecorp.com).”

We are always grateful for the love and dedication of our fans, and ADOR will continue to work to protect the rights of our artists.

Thank you.