Following Jang Won-young and Kang Daniel, BTS Also Sues “Sojang”
BTS once again denied allegations of marketing manipulation and involvement with Body & Brain, announcing that they have filed a lawsuit against the cyber wrecker "Sojang", which has been spreading various rumors
On June 28th, BTS‘s agency Big Hit Music posted an announcement on the fan community Weverse titled “Update Notice on Legal Proceedings Against Violation of Artist Rights”.
Previously, BTS was entangled in various rumors, including marketing manipulation and cult allegations. Big Hit Music said, “As we made clear in separate announcements in April and May, various malicious rumors surrounding the artist are untrue and groundless. We have continuously collected evidence on those who participated in the organized rumor-mongering efforts and included them in the complaints.”
Emphasizing that BTS has no connection with Body & Brain, Big Hit Music stated, “Circulating rumors alleging the artist’s or the artist’s lyrics’ association with Body & Brain are fictitious. Upon discovering Body & Brain’s illegal use of BTS’s intellectual property rights, we promptly demanded the removal of the content in question and received a commitment to prevent any future occurrences. Should similar issues arise in the future, we will take decisive legal action to uphold and protect the artists’ intellectual property rights in line with our principle.” They also clarified, “We also want to make clear that rumors of surreptitious chart manipulation and unethical marketing are a product of fabrication and completely unconnected to the artist.“
Big Hit Music is also pursuing separate legal actions against individuals who have violated the artists’ privacy.
The agency revealed that they are taking civil and criminal legal action against cyber wreckers, including “Sojang”. They shared, “In 2022, we litigated against Sojang for defamation and obstruction of business and the investigative agency had previously decided to suspend the investigation. However, with our persistent request for the resumption of investigation to be authorized, and our provision of personal information regarding Sojang to the investigative agency, the case has been reopened and is currently being investigated. An additional civil suit was filed earlier this year to seek damages for defamation and other illegal acts committed by Sojang and is expected to go to trial soon.”
Sojang is currently facing multiple civil and criminal lawsuits for defaming celebrities such as Jang Won-young and Kang Daniel. In December last year, Jang Won-young and Starship Entertainment won a partial victory in a 100 million won damages lawsuit against Sojang. Sojang has appealed the decision, with the appeal trial set to resume in September.
