It was a busy week for the copyright lawyers over at HYBE, as the kpop giant was hit with not one but two separate infringement lawsuits over songs by BTS and NewJeans.
In a case filed Tuesday, a company called All Surface Publishing claimed that the 2023 NewJeans song “ETA,” a minor hit, stole multiple elements from an instrumental dance track called “Samir’s Theme” that had been released nearly two decades earlier.
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Then on Wednesday (July 8), an even bigger claim: That BTS’s “Swim” — a smash hit that debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 as the lead track off ARIRANG and spent 15 weeks on the chart — lifted material from an unpublished demo by three little-known songwriters. The case cited an expert report that “unequivocally” concludes the BTS track copied the earlier song.
The report’s author, musicologist Alexander Stewart, is a name music lawyers will recognize. He was retained by the accusers in the high-profile copyright case against Ed Sheeran over Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” as well as by the plaintiffs in a similar infringement case against Led Zeppelin over “Stairway To Heaven.”
In both cases, of course, those claims were later rejected by juries.
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Other top stories this week…
-It ain’t over yet: A self-published Florida poet who claims Taylor Swift stole lyrics filed a quick appeal less than two days after her latest copyright case against the superstar was thrown out of court.
-Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court ruled Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend can keep suing the star for allegedly using her voice without permission on the chart-topping album Un Verano Sin Ti.
-In yet more HYBE news: The label initiated legal action to curb the sale of knockoff BTS merch during U.S. stops of the superstar K-pop group’s blockbuster ARIRANG world tour.
–Boosie Badazz paid $600,000 to a pair of lobbyists to seek a pardon from President Donald Trump and is now taking legal action to demand a refund after it never materialized.
-A New York appeals court rejected 50 Cent’s request to automatically win a lawsuit against an ex-girlfriend over her “tell-all” Instagram posts — not a huge shock after how arguments went.
-A judge issued an early-stage ruling in the legal battle between Fuerza Regida and its label Rancho Humilde, saying it was too early to decide the case’s core question about the band’s record deal.
-StubHub was hit with a class action in the wake of reporting that its CEO is also the managing partner of a ticket broker that has made millions of dollars on the platform.
–Nicki Minaj allegedly owes $230,000 in legal bills to lawyers who defended her against recent accusations of copyright infringement and is facing a looming default judgment.
-The composer of the Zulu chant from The Lion King’s “Circle of Life” dropped his lawsuit against a comedian who joked about the song on a podcast. But the case isn’t over quite yet.
-Insomniac Events reached a settlement that will keep the global dance music company involved in two Miami venues following a protracted legal battle.
-iHeartMedia agreed resolved an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) into whether the radio giant offers artists airplay in exchange for free event performances.
-The rock band Lit reached a settlement to end an $800,000 lawsuit against Sony Music over streaming royalties for “My Own Worst Enemy and the rest of their ’90s catalog.
–Sam Smith and Normani once again asked a judge to throw out a never-ending copyright case over their 2019 hit “Dancing With a Stranger,” arguing the case “does not come close” to succeeding.
