“THE NAME DROPPING” — Internet reacts to BIGHIT MUSIC’s legal notice against perpetrators for allegedly defaming BTS and violating artists' rights

On June 28, 2024, BIGHIT MUSIC, a HYBE subsidiary, issued a notice on Weverse to take legal action against perpetrators who defamed BTS. The lengthy notice mentioned names such as the YouTube channels Sojang, Body & Brain, and the Global Cyber University, where BTS members completed their college degrees.

The company explained about pursuing civil and criminal lawsuits against the parties above, with every other cyber troll who allegedly defamed BTS for chart manipulation. BIGHIT MUSIC further added that they had previously warned Global Cyber University to halt unauthorized usage of the band members' intellectual property rights, like their names and photos.

Fans were happy to be informed of the company's legal actions against perpetrators. One fan highlighted how the notice clearly stated a few names of the concerned parties who have allegedly violated BTS' rights repeatedly and wrote,

"THE NAME DROPPING IM SCREAMING"

The rest of the fandom flooded X as they cheered to see BIGHIT MUSIC taking stern legal actions to protect BTS and its seven members who are currently serving military service.

"The way they dropped names tells me that they finally took a real serious move! I like this and hope they keep the same energy in the future as well." An X user wrote.

"The way bhm filed a case in 2022 and it got reopened because they were able submit additional proof just shows bhm has been doing its bit. You all need stop blaming bhm for everything. When you follow the law, it's a long process." An X user wrote.

"A thief has 40 days and sojang’s 40 days are over. Everyone in the k industry is coming for their neck." An X user wrote.

"You know it’s serious business when they start name dropping." An X user wrote.

"I was unaware of body & brain and global cyber university (the school they enrolled in the past few years) issues... wow." An X user wrote.

"Good. Let's not forget Bighit is a big company so all of this will take time. Give them time to sort it out. I am glad that they are taking action and the name dropping is just <emoji>," An X user wrote.

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BIGHIT MUSIC details the perpetrators' name who allegedly attempted to defame BTS

In two different statements released in April and May 2024, BIGHIT MUSIC stated that the musicians are the victims of false and harmful rumors. They have been compiling information on individuals involved in the coordinated efforts to spread rumors regularly and adding it to the complaints.

They asserted that BIGHIT MUSIC and BTS are unrelated to Body & Brain, adding that rumors that the group or their lyrics are associated with Body & Brain are inaccurate. Body & Brain has unlawfully used BTS' intellectual property rights.

BIGHIT MUSIC immediately ordered that the infringing content be removed. They promised to enforce and defend the artists' intellectual property rights with utmost vigor in court. BIGHIT MUSIC sent Global Cyber University a cease-and-desist letter in February 2024 demanding that they halt using BTS' intellectual property without permission.

The company stated that they have forwarded evidence to the prosecutor's office and the suspects are reportedly awaiting disposition. BIGHIT MUSIC vowed to hold the suspects accountable and wrote,

"This quarter, we have continued to gather evidence of activities violating the artist’s rights, including personal attacks and defamation, through fan reports and our internal monitoring system. Consequently, we have filed several complaints with the investigative agency. [...] As for the previous complaints filed, multiple cases were forwarded to the prosecutor’s office, and the suspects are awaiting disposition. We will endeavor to make sure that the suspects are held accountable, regardless of how long it may take."

The company said that allegations of covert chart manipulation and unscrupulous marketing are entirely unfounded and have nothing to do with the artist. BIGHIT MUSIC stated that they have been pursuing separate civil and criminal lawsuits against perpetrators who violated BTS' privacy and wrote malicious posts.

The company launched criminal and civil proceedings against the "Sojang" YouTube channel. BIGHIT MUSIC sued Sojang in 2022 for slander and business obstruction. However, the investigating agency halted the investigation earlier.

"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."

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In other news, BTS' Park Jimin dropped the pre-release single, Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (Feat. LOCO), on June 28, 2024, at 1 PM KST. The song reached #1 on iTunes across 100 countries within 3 hours of its release. It became the fastest Korean/K-pop and non-English song to achieve this feat in the chart's history.