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| ▲ This photo, provided by ATTRAKT, shows the former 4-member-act FIFTY FIFTY, when the hit song "Cupid" was released in February, 2023. |
SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean court has sided with The Givers, led by producer Ahn Sung-il, in a copyright dispute over FIFTY FIFTY’s global hit song Cupid, ruling against the girl group’s agency, ATTRAKT.
According to music industry sources, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Agreement Division 62, presided over by Judge Lee Hyun-seok, recently dismissed ATTRAKT’s copyright confirmation suit against The Givers, ruling in favor of the latter.
ATTRAKT had filed the suit asserting that it held the copyright ownership of Cupid, including reproduction rights, public performance rights, broadcasting and transmission rights, exhibition rights, distribution rights, rental rights, and adaptation rights. The court, however, did not accept ATTRAKT’s claims.
Released in February 2023, Cupid gained global popularity via social media, peaking at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for a total of 25 weeks.
While the original version of the song was written by Swedish composers, The Givers reportedly acquired full copyright ownership from them. Based on this acquisition, the company registered its ownership share of the copyright with the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) under its own name in March 2023.
ATTRAKT, having discovered the registration afterward, protested the move, arguing that under its service contract with The Givers, securing the copyright was part of the delegated responsibilities. The agency further claimed that the Swedish composers had understood ATTRAKT to be the real acquirer in the copyright transfer process facilitated by The Givers.
ATTRAKT filed the lawsuit seeking legal recognition of its copyright ownership and requesting that the court order The Givers to cancel its registration of the copyright.
However, the court dismissed these claims, stating that “the objective wording of the copyright transfer agreement clearly indicates that The Givers was the contractual party,” and thus rejected ATTRAKT’s interpretation.
The court also denied ATTRAKT’s argument that the service agreement with The Givers included obligations to acquire the copyright on ATTRAKT’s behalf.
In response to the ruling, ATTRAKT said, “We are currently reviewing the legal grounds and preparing for an appeal. We sincerely thank those who continue to support FIFTY FIFTY and ATTRAKT, and we will provide further updates as legal proceedings unfold.”
FIFTY FIFTY has faced internal turmoil since the success of Cupid in 2023, with all four original members filing injunctions to suspend their exclusive contracts with ATTRAKT. Only member Keena later returned to the agency. The group has since been restructured as a five-member act with four new members. ATTRAKT has filed multiple civil and criminal complaints, accusing The Givers and producer Ahn Sung-il of being behind alleged “tampering” during the contract dispute.
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