G-DRAGON, YANG HYUN SUK
Was the song intentionally stolen, or was it just a simple mistake?
Singer G-DRAGON (Kwon Ji-yong) and YANG HYUN SUK, the head producer of YG Entertainment, are currently under police investigation following a copyright infringement lawsuit. Meanwhile, YG Entertainment has denied the allegations, stating:
“There was no unauthorized reproduction.”
According to the police and music industry sources, on August 12, Seoul’s Mapo Police Station has been investigating since last November following a complaint filed by composer “A” against four individuals: G-DRAGON, YANG HYUN SUK, former CEO Yang Min Suk, and “B,” CEO of YG Plus, on charges of copyright infringement.
The plaintiff, “A,” claims that a song titled “G-DRAGON,” which he registered with the Korea Music Copyright Association in 2001, was copied without permission by YG Entertainment, renamed “내 나이 열셋” (“At Thirteen”), and included in G-DRAGON’s 2010 solo concert album “Shine a light”. He also criticized YG Entertainment for failing to credit him as the songwriter.
In response, YG Entertainment explained: “During preparations for G-DRAGON’s solo concert in 2009, there was simply confusion between two songs with the same title, which led to a labeling error. There was no unauthorized copying of the audio.” They added, “There was absolutely no intent to infringe copyright, and if there was a labeling mistake due to confusion, we will sincerely clarify the situation.”
So far, the police have conducted two searches, including at YG Entertainment’s headquarters, and are continuing to question the involved parties.
A police spokesperson said: “The searches have been completed, and we are analyzing the seized materials while continuing investigations of the related individuals.”
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: SNS G-DRAGON, YG Ent
