Latest news with #Attrakt
Korea Herald
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Court rules The Givers, not Attrakt, owns copyright to Fifty Fifty's mega-hit 'Cupid'
Producer Ahn Sung-il wins legal battle over global hit, with group still entangled in controversy and lawsuits In the dispute over the copyright of girl group Fifty Fifty's global hit song "Cupid," a Korean court on Thursday ruled in favor of The Givers, an production outsourcing company led by producer Ahn Sung-il, rather than the group's agency Attrakt. Attrakt had filed a lawsuit to confirm that it holds various rights to "Cupid," including the right to create derivative works, but the court did not accept this claim in the first trial. "Cupid," released by Fifty Fifty in February 2023, gained massive popularity after going viral on social media platforms. The song landed at No. 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained on the chart for a total of 25 weeks. The original version of "Cupid" was composed by Swedish songwriters, and all economic rights to the song were acquired from them by The Givers, led by producer Ahn Sung-il. Based on this, The Givers changed the copyright registration for "Cupid" to its own name with the Korea Music Copyright Association in March 2023. Attrakt protested, claiming that the tasks delegated to The Givers included securing the copyright to the song. The agency also insisted that even the Swedish composers understood Attrakt to be the actual contracting party in the copyright transfer. However, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on Thursday that based on the wording of the contract, it was clear that The Givers was to be assigned the copyright. The court also rejected Attrakt's claim that the service contract with The Givers included the task of acquiring copyright. Fifty Fifty's crisis began soon after the remarkable success of "Cupid" in 2023, as all four Fifty Fifty members filed for a court injunction to suspend the validity of their exclusive contracts with Attrakt. Although the case went to an appellate court, it was ultimately dismissed. Member Keena later withdrew her appeal and returned to Attrakt, while Attrakt terminated its contracts with the other three members — Aran, Saena and Sio — and reorganized Fifty Fifty as a quintet by recruiting new members. Aran, Saena and Sio are currently preparing to debut under the new group name Ablume, working in collaboration with The Givers' CEO Ahn. Keena, the only original member remaining in Fifty Fifty, filed a criminal complaint against Ahn last August, accusing him of forging private documents and using forged documents. Ahn allegedly forged Keena's signature to reduce her share of the "Cupid" copyright to 0.5 percent. Following a recent in-person police interrogation alongside Ahn, Keena began showing symptoms of PTSD, according to Attrakt, and decided not to participate in promotions for the album "Day & Night," released on April 29.
Korea Herald
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Former Fifty Fifty members set to re-debut as ablume
New York-based investment firm has proposed investing some $83.2 million in Massive E&C, K-pop agency behind ablume Three former members of Fifty Fifty — Saena, Aran, and Sio — are preparing for a fresh start under a new name, ablume. The trio has teamed up with Ahn Sung-il, the producer of their previous music and CEO of The Givers. Ahn will oversee the production of ablume's first album, which is expected to be released in the first half of this year. Massive E&C, the K-pop agency behind ablume, reportedly reached out to Ahn at the group's request. Massive E&C operates as a subsidiary of NS ENM, an entertainment company that was formerly known as IOK Company. The agency also announced Thursday that Ahn has officially joined the company to spearhead its global entertainment ventures. Given Fifty Fifty's previous success in the international music market, including its breakthrough on the Billboard charts, Massive E&C expects significant global investor interest in ablume. "A New York-based investment firm has proposed an investment of approximately 120 billion won ($83.2 million)," Massive VNC official was quoted as saying in local media. "We recently completed meetings and are in the process of finalizing discussions." Fifty Fifty debuted on Feb. 24, 2023, with the first single, "The Beginning: Cupid." The main track, "Cupid," propelled the group to global fame, making it the fastest K-pop act to enter the Billboard Hot 100, landing at No. 100 just 130 days after its debut. The song later peaked at No. 17 on May 20 and remained on the chart for 25 weeks -- the longest run for any K-pop girl group in history. However, the group soon became embroiled in internal disputes. In June 2023, all four former members -- Saena, Aran, Sio, and Keena -- filed an injunction against their agency, Attrakt, to suspend their exclusive contracts, leading to a halt in group activities. They cited issues such as lack of financial transparency and neglect of their health. Attrakt accused Ahn, who had been responsible for outsourced music production, of leading the members to break their contracts, labeling him as a key figure behind an alleged tampering attempt. The court ultimately ruled against the members' injunction request in August. Among the four members, only Keena withdrew her appeal and returned to Attrakt, where she continues to work under the restructured Fifty Fifty with new members. Following the court ruling, Attrakt officially terminated its contracts with Saena, Aran, and Sio and subsequently filed a lawsuit against them and Ahn, seeking damages. Legal proceedings between Attrakt and Ahn remain ongoing.
