Dolphiners Films Releases Official Statement on First Trial Ruling of Damages Lawsuit with ADOR

Statement

This is Dolphiners Films.

We would like to correct the false information being circulated regarding the first trial ruling of the damages lawsuit with ADOR handed down on the 13th.

In the ruling for the above case, contrary to ADOR’s claims, the court stated, ‘The act of uploading NewJeans’ ETA Director’s Cut video to our YouTube channel was based on an oral agreement between the parties, and therefore cannot be considered unauthorized posting,’ and ‘The testimonies and evidence supporting the existence of the oral agreement are all credible, leaving no room to doubt their authenticity.’

However, the court determined that because the contract required written consent, despite the oral agreement with ADOR’s CEO, our company has an obligation to pay a penalty for breach of contract.

In addition, the court clearly determined that our company did not commit copyright infringement and that Director Shin Woo-seok’s posting of his statement was also lawful, dismissing all of ADOR’s claims for damages against our company.

However, acknowledging a clear agreement between the parties regarding the upload of the ETA Director’s Cut video while simultaneously acknowledging our company’s breach of duty solely because that agreement was not documented in writing is in itself a contradiction of reasoning, and we must say that it goes against the intent of the parties at the time of the agreement to substitute the written contract with an oral agreement.

Accordingly, our company believes the first trial court’s decision contradicts the intent of the agreeing parties as well as universal common sense, and we filed an appeal on Jan. 20.

Furthermore, the NewJeans music videos and supplementary content our company has produced thus far were projects undertaken while bearing financial losses for the sake of expanding Dolphiners Films’ portfolio and the perfection of the works. To prove this in the present case, our company submitted project profit and loss-related documents to the court to substantiate the facts.

Finally, rumors regarding our company’s contract structure are also untrue. Dolphiners Films guarantees an independent creative environment through reasonable contracts and maintains partnerships of mutual respect. We ask that you refrain from baseless speculation or malicious slander.

We plan to take strong action against the spread of false information and coordinated comment manipulation based on reports we receive.

· Reports: [email protected]

Thank you.

January 21, 2026
Dolphiners Films Co., Ltd.