The advertising company Dolphin Kidnappers paid a bond to halt execution of a ruling in a lawsuit regarding NewJeans' music video.
January/27/2026 15:50Related Groups & Members
Regarding the damages lawsuit surrounding NewJeans' "Ditto" music video, the advertising production company Dolphin Kidnappers paid a bond to the court to prevent the provisional execution of the first-instance ruling. According to legal sources yesterday (26th), Dolphin Kidnappers deposited 1.2 billion won (about 127 million yen) to the Seoul Central District Court. This measure was taken to stop the provisional execution procedure made possible by the first-instance ruling in which ADOR won. Prior to this, the 63rd Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court issued a partial victory ruling for the plaintiff in a damages lawsuit filed by ADOR against Dolphin Kidnappers and director Shin Woosuk, which sought about 1.1 billion won (about 110 million yen) in damages. The court recognized the responsibility for breach of contract and ordered, "Dolphin Kidnappers must pay ADOR 1 billion won (about 100 million yen) and delayed damages calculated at an annual rate of 12% from December 14, 2024, until the payment date," and also allowed provisional execution for the amount. However, claims for damages against director Shin Woosuk and some claims for defamation were dismissed. Provisional execution is a system that allows the winning side to execute the judgment even when it is not finalized, and the losing side can apply for a suspension of enforcement. Dolphin Kidnappers applied for a suspension of provisional execution on the 20th, and the court accepted this. On the same day, they also submitted an appeal. After the appeal, Dolphin Kidnappers issued an official comment, stating that they would correct the interpretation of the judgment. They explained, "The court determined that, contrary to ADOR's claims, 'the act of uploading NewJeans' 'ETA' director's cut video to the YouTube channel was based on an oral agreement between the parties and cannot be said to be unauthorized publication.' The testimonies and evidence supporting the existence of the oral agreement are all reliable, and there is no room to doubt their true meaning." They continued, "However, since the contract requires written consent, despite the existence of an oral agreement with ADOR's CEO, it was judged that we have an obligation to pay a penalty based on breach of contract," and clarified that "furthermore, our copyright infringement was not established, and the publication of director Shin Woosuk's position statement was also deemed lawful, leading to the dismissal of all of ADOR's damage claims against us." Dolphin Kidnappers also argued that the judgment was logically contradictory. "Recognizing a clear agreement between the parties regarding the upload of the 'ETA' director's cut video, yet acknowledging our breach of obligation solely because that agreement was not documented is itself a contradiction of reasons and a judgment contrary to the intentions of the parties at the time of the agreement," they stated. Furthermore, they added, "The music videos and related content we have produced for NewJeans were undertaken with the understanding of operating at a loss for the expansion of Dolphin Kidnappers' portfolio and the improvement of the quality of the works," and submitted relevant profit and loss materials to the court. Regarding external suspicions about the contract structure, they emphasized, "We maintain a partnership based on mutual respect, guaranteed by a reasonable contract that ensures an independent creative environment." This lawsuit began when Dolphin Kidnappers uploaded a director's cut of NewJeans' "ETA" music video to their YouTube channel in August 2024, leading ADOR to raise issues of copyright and contract violations and file a civil lawsuit in September of the same year.
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