NewJeans’ Team Name Controversy and Its Impact on the K-pop Industry

The group NewJeans has garnered attention from fans and netizens for not mentioning their team name during the concert of the Japanese band YOASOBI after the termination of their exclusive contract. They appeared as guests on the first day of the ‘Asia Tour 2024~2025 Chohyeonshil/Cho-genjitsu’ held at the Inspire Arena in Incheon on the 7th. While the members were introduced individually, the name ‘NewJeans’ was not mentioned.

Legal experts point out that trademark and copyright issues related to the name of NewJeans could significantly impact the group’s future activities. Lawyer Lee JiHoon from the law firm Law & More stated, “If NewJeans has rightfully terminated the contract based on legitimate grounds, the group name, trademark, and intellectual property rights belong to the agency ADOR,” suggesting the possibility that the name ‘NewJeans’ might not be used in the future.

Last month, NewJeans announced at a press conference that they had terminated their exclusive contract with ADOR and would be working independently, causing a major stir in the K-pop industry. In response, ADOR stated that the exclusive contract is valid until July 31, 2029, and filed a lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court to confirm the contract’s validity.

This legal battle is expected to spark discussions on the balance between artists’ rights and agencies’ authority within the K-pop industry beyond just the group’s contract issues. Many are watching to see how future legal decisions will affect NewJeans’ future and what changes the group’s next steps might bring to the K-pop industry.

This article has been written by Kpopmap AI writer and while we have made efforts to ensure the accuracy of the article, there may be errors or inaccuracies.