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NewJeans' rebranded name NJZ's logo recently received plagiarism accusations for copying SM Entertainment girl group aespa. On February 7, 2025, NewJeans announced their new name in continuation of their independent activities amidst a legal battle with their agency ADOR.
NewJeans changed the name of their independent Instagram page @jeanzforfree to @njz_official. The group caught fans by surprise as they released new group photos in collaboration with the media publishing company COMPLEX on February 7, 2025, through their Instagram.
However, several netizens noticed the design of NJZ's logo appears to be similar to that of aespa. The NJZ logo seems to be a Y2K logo stylized with melted liquid fonts enhanced by silver linings.
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Meanwhile, fans speculated that the logo has been allegedly copied from aespa's logo for their first full-length album, Armageddon, released in May 2024.
However, NewJeans fans have come to their defense, stating that the logos are different. Meanwhile some fans also weighed in on their opinion on why they believe it was derived through an original idea and not copied.
"They are sisters, leave them alone," a fan said.
"Aespa reaches into the future and glimpses at what is yet to exist. NJZ/NewJeans is all about paying homage to the foundations of culture and invigorating its relevance in the modern age. There's nothing more grounded than reviving the iconography of era's gone by," a fan added.
"People saying NJZ is going full girl crush or getting “aespawashed” are missing the point. It’s just a natural evolution from the playful, cute vibe of OMG to a more mature, confident energy. NJZ isn’t abandoning their roots—they’re just evolving," a user stated.
Some aespa fans also showcased their support to the logo of NewJeans' new name, stating that the SM Entertainment girl group changes their logo every comeback.
"njz stans don't get provoked into this cause us mys didn't mind at all since aespa logo change EVERY comeback. and they're SISTERS ," a user commented.
"That's my aespaNJZ crumbs," a netizen mentioned.
"Nothing about this gives aespa stop with the engagement bait mys will be supporting njz," a user stated.
Some netizens criticized the NJZ logo on social media:
"They wanted some of those aespa nachos," a user wrote.
"They copied AESPA how dare you?," a netizen commented.
"Leeches newjeans leave aespa alone," a user wrote.
More about NewJeans' ongoing legal dispute with ADOR and HYBE LABELS and independent activities
NewJeans is a five-member girl group including Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein, who have now rebranded their name as NJZ. The girl group originally debuted on July 22, 2022, with their song Attention under ADOR, a subsidiary company of the entertainment conglomerate HYBE LABELS.
On November 28, 2025, the girl group announced their departure from ADOR and the conclusion of their exclusive contract unilaterally through a press conference. This was followed by their allegations of workplace abuse towards the agency.
However, ADOR denied the allegations and announced that the contract was still valid, and on December 3, 2024, they filed an injunction against the girl group at a court in Seoul to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract.
On December 14, 2024, the Hype Boy singers established their independent Instagram page named @jeanzforfree and updated fans with their daily activities through posts and stories.
On January 13, ADOR filed another injunction against the girl group to prevent them from making advertisement deals separately with brands.
On February 7, they announced their new name, NJZ, through the media agency COMPLEX and unveiled a pictorial of solo and group images.
According to COMPLEX, NewJeans, aka NJZ, are set to showcase new activities under their new name.
Meanwhile, the hearing of the injunction is set to be on March 7, 2025, at the 50th civil division of the Seoul Central District Court, followed by the lawsuit regarding the contract validity hearing on April 3, 2025, at the 41st civil division of the Seoul Central District Court.
