Latest news with #TheGivers
Hype Malaysia
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
K-pop Group Fifty Fifty Loses Copyright To Their Iconic Track 'Cupid'
Even if you're not a fan of K-pop, you've likely heard of the viral track, 'Cupid'. The catchy song by K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty (피프티 피프티) remains their biggest hit – but from today onwards, the group and their agency no longer hold the copyright to the song. A Korean court has recently settled the copyright dispute of Fifty Fifty's hit song. Since 2023, 'Cupid' has been part of a legal battle between the group's agency, ATTRACKT, and Ahn Sung Il of the production group, The Givers. The case gained notoriety after Ahn Sung Il reportedly tried to sabotage the track's copyright, even allegedly forging signatures. The case even snowballed into Fifty Fifty's lineup change after three members left the group. Before the case's final ruling, ATTRAKT filed a lawsuit in 2024, asserting the song belonged to them. However, on 8th May 2025 (Thursday), the Seoul Central District Court formally rejected ATTRAKT's intellectual property claim, citing the claims against The Givers have no factual merit. With the ruling, the court thereby recognises The Givers as the legally registered owners of 'Cupid'. If you're wondering, 'Fifty Fifty' can still perform their hit song, but won't be able to re-record any new version of the track without permission from The Givers. However, it's worth noting that Fifty Fifty member Keena (키나) was the lyricist for the song's original version. The idol previously accused The Givers and Ahn Sung Il of forging her signature in documents, allotting her credits and copyright royalties as a lyricist. Many netizens have chimed in on the news, sharing mixed reactions. Some voiced sadness over Fifty Fifty losing the copyright, particularly expressing sympathy towards Keena. However, others argued that the new Fifty Fifty lineup had little part in the initial success of 'Cupid' because the song was sung by the group's former members, Aran (아란) and Sio (시오). The two are now part of ablume with Saena (새나), another former Fifty Fifty member. Meanwhile, Ahn Sung Il is still under investigation for forgery. Understandably, ATTRAKT is prepared to appeal the copyright claim case, but what are your thoughts on this? Source: Koreaboo, Twitter
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.
