Experts Point Out ILLIT Copying NewJeans As “Serious Infringement Of Creation”
The controversy over ILLIT copying NewJeans is one of the main reasons the dispute between HYBE and ADOR broke out. CEO Min Hee-jin complained, “Ironically, the cultural achievements of ADOR and our artist NewJeans are seriously violated by HYBE”, adding “Another label of HYBE, Belift Lab, debuted ILLIT in March and they are copying NewJeans in all aspects, from hairstyles to makeup, costumes, choreographies, photos, videos and event appearances”.
It is true that ILLIT has been said to resemble NewJeans since their debut. NewJeans and ILLIT are singers under two different labels of HYBE, however, both groups have five members, debuted with fast and upbeat electronic songs, promoted dreamy school uniform concepts, performed similar choreographies, and appeared at fashion brand events right after debut.
In addition, even the album cover and artworks of NewJeans and ILLIT, such as photocards in albums and 2D illustrations depicting the members as animated characters, looked similar.
Apart from netizens, experts in the music industry also agreed on the similarities between NewJeans and ILLIT. A music agency CEO commented, “The core of an idol is their concept. Although the details are different, the overall concepts of the two groups are similar. This can be considered an infringement”. CEO from another company said, “There was an error in scheduling as they let two groups with similar concepts under the same parent company promote continuously, one debuted in March and another group will make a comeback in May”.
Many other music experts pointed out that ILLIT’s images were significantly influenced by NewJeans. A famous visual artist who asked for their name to be hidden shared, “We can allow parody and homage in creation, but the act of violating the original works deserves criticism”, adding “Comparing the fonts and artworks of NewJeans and ILLIT albums, I believe that it has reached the level of infringing the creators’ efforts. This issue stimulates frustration not only among the public but also among creators”.
A brand marketing manager of a global brand said, “The controversy over the similarity between the two groups is not merely about sharing similar concepts. It seems that ILLIT has replicated NewJeans’s success formula to the extent of ‘copying’”, adding “From the Y2K retro sentiment, the freshness of teenage girls, dreamy pastel-tone visuals, to HYBE’s marketing strategy, ILLIT seems to have followed NewJeans’s success formula from 1 to 10.”
This person criticized HYBE, saying “HYBE seems to be blindly following that success formula, and that results in them disregarding the minimum pride and conscience creators should have. Such behavior can also be linked to the creative ethics of the entire K-pop industry”
Some also argued that the similarity between NewJeans and ILLIT was actually a bling spot of the law.
Lawyer Noh Jeong-eon said, “If the parent company HYBE copied the concept and choreographies of its label ADOR, there is no way for the label to defend itself as stated in the shareholder agreement. Even if the parent company steals the concepts and choreographies, realistic defense may be difficult due to the lack of such provisions”, adding “CEO Min Hee0jin called it a ‘slave contract’ and it must have been so painful for a creator to be forced to endure such unfairness unconditionally”.
Lastly, the lawyer said, “One of the bling spots in the shareholder agreement is the lack of regulation regarding situations where the parent company unlawfully steals concepts from its labels”, adding “Concepts and choreographies currently in the blind spots, unlike music sources, in terms of intellectual property (IP) rights protection.”
Source: daum