“BBIBBI” composer defends IU from haters, “The target of the plagiarism accusation was chosen incorrectly”
Composer Lee Jong Hoon, who has worked with IU for a long time, refuted the recent plagiarism allegation against the female singer.
On May 11th, composer Lee Jong Hoon said, “I heard there was recently an article that a plagiarism complaint was filed against ‘BBIBBI’, a song I composed”. In particular, he also pointed out that the subject of a plagiarism accusation should not be the singer, but the composer.
He emphasized, “First of all, it is regrettable that the target of the plagiarism accusation was chosen incorrectly. Copyright (intellectual property rights) of a song belongs to the composer, not the singer. Therefore, even if someone decides to sue or report the issue, it would be appropriate to bring the accusation or complaint to me as the composer.”
Defending IU, he said, “Plagiarism is considered a private offense, so third-party accusations or complaints have no legal effect. This only shows an intention to damage the artist’s reputation and does not have any legal results.”
The composer explained, “While working on ‘BBIBBI’, I did not plagiarize any other work”, adding “After listening to several songs that were claimed to have similarities to it in a YouTube compilation video, I found that apart from the hip-hop/R&B genre, there were actually differences and individuality in terms of chord progression, song structure, and instrumental arrangement.”
He added, “If there are any parts that require further explanation from me in the future, I will provide my explanation without hesitation. Even if it requires legal procedures, I will correct the misunderstandings.”
Netizens commented, “Please take legal action. I support you, composer”, “Such ridiculous accusation is an act of bullying creators. It would be great if law enforcement agencies could correct the abuse and distortion of the law by setting a good precedent”, “Thank you for taking responsibility”, “Please protect IU. Please stay strong until the end”, etc.
On that day, Lee Min Soo, who composed IU’s “Good Day” and “The Red Shoes”, also expressed his position on his Instagram. He drew a line by saying, “I did not refer to other people’s songs and works when working on ‘Good Day’ and ‘The Red Shoes’. As the composer of ‘Pink Shoes’ and ‘Good Day’, I hope that this will not leave any scars in the hearts of anyone who loves IU, and IU herself.”
Earlier on May 8th, IU was accused of violating the Copyright Law by a citizen. The complaint pointed out six songs, including “The Red Shoes”, “Good Day”, “BBIBBI”, “Pitiful”, “Boo”, and “Celebrity”.
IU’s agency EDAM Entertainment confirmed that the investigation of the plagiarism allegations is underway and announced their plan to take legal action against malicious commenters and defamation.
Source: Wikitree
