[NewJeans Embroiled in Another Plagiarism Lawsuit] 'ETA' Accused of Appropriating Early Dance Track Elements, HYBE Also Sued

Korean girl group NewJeans and their agency HYBE are once again embroiled in a copyright dispute. Foreign media reports indicate that NewJeans' hit song 'ETA' has been sued by a publishing company, alleging that the track appropriated elements from an earlier dance music work. The lawsuit also names NewJeans members and HYBE as defendants.

Billboard Exclusive Reveals 'ETA' Accused of Appropriating Early Song

According to an exclusive report by Billboard, NewJeans and HYBE are facing a lawsuit over their song 'ETA.' While the report is behind a paywall, some of its content has been relayed by netizens, indicating that the lawsuit was filed on July 7th by a publishing company, claiming 'ETA' stole elements from a certain dance track.

The report states that the lawsuit alleges the defendants incorporated a set of elements into the musical composition of 'ETA' and the recording presenting that composition; these elements are claimed to be "substantially and/or materially similar," or even "virtually identical," to the original elements of 'Samir’s Theme,' without obtaining authorization from All Surface or paying compensation to All Surface.

All Members Named; X Post Claims This is 'ETA''s Second Copyright Lawsuit

A user on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) relayed that NewJeans is facing a second copyright lawsuit over 'ETA,' following a previous lawsuit related to 'How Sweet.' The post also stated that the lawsuit names all five NewJeans members.

Another X post summarized that NewJeans members are facing a lawsuit alleging that 'ETA' appropriated instrumental parts of an earlier work. This legal complaint was filed on Tuesday (July 7th) and was first obtained and reported by Billboard. The lawsuit accuses NewJeans members Minji, Hanni, Haerin, and others of copyright infringement.

Currently, based on the original information, the core of the case revolves around whether 'ETA' used original elements from 'Samir’s Theme' and whether authorization was obtained or compensation paid.