The way celebrities handle plagiarism suspicions has changed.
Plagiarism allegations are a sensitive matter for creators and artists. Many have faced the risk of suspending their activities or enduring excessive criticism based solely on the suspicion of plagiarism, regardless of the truth. While some have chosen to push forward without responding, most have had to deal with stifling accusations even if they were merely suspicions of plagiarism or similarity.
However, the recent approach of celebrities towards plagiarism suspicions has evolved. They are now actively clarifying the facts, expressing their opinions confidently, and preventing unnecessary misunderstandings and harm.
On August 22nd, suspicions of plagiarism were raised regarding BTS Jungkook’s solo song “Seven.” “Seven” is a highly popular track known for its addictive melody, warm acoustic guitar sound, and a fusion of UK garage genre rhythm. Upon its release last month, the song quickly climbed to the top spot on Billboard Hot 100 thanks to its immense popularity.
However, allegations have emerged that this song directly borrowed major melodies and musical scales from the 2000 song “Time of Mask” by Fin.K.L. In response, Yang Jun Young, the composer of “Time of Mask,” sent evidence materials including audio and musical scales to individuals at HYBE. However, HYBE’s response was informally limited, citing reasons such as Bang Si Hyuk, the company’s chairman, being on a business trip to the United States.
In light of this, Big Hit Music, Jungkook’s agency, stated, “‘Seven’ is not a copyright infringement. ‘Seven’ is a creation that involved collaboration among five foreign composers and is completely unrelated to a song from 24 years ago that is being referred to. The allegations made are a one-sided claim that does not meet any criteria for determining plagiarism, such as substantial similarity or basis.”
Prior to Jungkook, IU also took legal action against persistent plagiarism rumors. On May 10th, IU was sued for copyright infringement for a total of 6 songs, including “Good Day”, “The Red Shoes”, “Pitiful”, “Boo”, “BBIBBI”, and “Celebrity”. However, IU did not participate in the creation of these 5 songs, excluding “Celebrity.”
Moreover, especially in the case of “The Red Shoes,” there had been allegations of plagiarism in 2013, which her agency had clarified in detail, and notable composers like Bang Si Hyuk and Kim Hyung Suk had expressed opinions that the songs were not plagiarized.
In response, the composers of each song, including Lee Min Soo and Choi Gab Won, reiterated that the songs were not plagiarized, and IU’s agency, EDAM Entertainment, announced strong legal countermeasures. On July 7th, EDAM Entertainment stated, “We have demonstrated that the accusations in this case lack legal basis and are waiting for the decision of the investigative agency.”
Fans are showing their support and applause for the confident way in which Jungkook and IU are addressing rumors.
Source: daum.
