NewJeans asks US court to reveal identity of YouTuber so they can sue them
By Ryan General
K-pop group NewJeans wants Google to reveal the identity of a YouTuber allegedly spreading false information about them.
Key points:
- The group is pursuing a defamation case against the YouTuber in South Korea, reported the New York Times.
- The YouTube account holder @Middle7 is accused of uploading dozens of videos that contain false and derogatory statements about the band.
- NewJeans‘ management company, Ador, has a history of taking legal action to protect its artists.
The details:
- On March 27, the group asked a federal court in California to compel Google to reveal the identity of the YouTube account owner.
- The channel in question has nearly 14,000 subscribers, with videos racking over 13 million views.
- NewJeans’ lawyer Eugene Kim claimed in a filing that the account’s behavior falls under defamation laws in South Korea, where the offense can be criminal.
- The filing noted that the account also engaged in “name-calling or other mocking behavior” targeting NewJeans. It further claimed that the uploaded videos “continue to inflict significant reputational damage.”
- “We regularly take legal action for violations of artists’ rights,” a representative from Ador said in a statement.
What’s next:
- Once the YouTube user’s identity is released, NewJeans and Ador could pursue a defamation lawsuit against that person in South Korea.
Tangent:
- K-pop companies have recently become more aggressive in using the legal systems of different countries to fight online harassment. Last year, a lawyer representing K-pop group IVE successfully obtained a YouTuber’s identity through U.S. courts, eventually leading to a civil case win in South Korea.
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