Sony/ATV Confirms Legal Action Against YG Songs

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has confirmed a report saying it is in the process of taking legal action against four songs it claims were plagiarized and released in the albums of YG Entertainment’s singers.

MBC’s “Current Affairs Magazine 2580″ show aired on September 20 had reported Sony had sent YG a notification which prohibits the use of the music without permission.

“We sent a warning letter to YG and the songwriters of the respective songs on September 17 and are now waiting for a response,” said Sony in a press release on Monday.

Music experts had concluded that not only were G-Dragon’s “Heartbreaker” and “Butterfly” plagiarized, but Big Bang’s “With U” was largely similar to Joe’s “Ride Wit U” and 2NE1’s “I Don’t Care” had noticeable similarities to Lionel Richie’s “Just Go”, Sony explained.

Listeners had pointed out “Heartbreaker” and Flo Rida’s “Right Round”, and “Butterfly” and Oasis “She’s Electric” sounded alike from the moment the leader of boy band Big Bang released his first solo album in mid-August. “Heartbreaker” has remained atop music charts for over a month.

Popular girl group 2NE1 also ranked No.1 with “I Don’t Care” and Big Bang’s “With U” was listed in their Japan debut album.
Both groups are managed by YG, one of the most successful talent houses in Korea.
Sony holds 10 percent copyright ownership to “Right Round” and 100 percent ownership to Oasis “She’s electric”.

credit : Jessica Kim of asiae.co.kr, ibigbang, omonatheydidn’t

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Post Published: 23 September 2009
Author: Sophia
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12 Responses to “Sony/ATV Confirms Legal Action Against YG Songs”

MissLadyBunny says:

September 24, 2009 at 6:12 AM

They wont go to court if YG Entertainment will pay royalties and that could mean millions from 2NE1 and G-Dragon album sales.the other extreme options is removal of those songs and still paying a large sum of money to Sony in damages.I hope YG has an excellent legal team if this does play out into a lawsuit.This would also discredit Teddy as a producer, G-Dragon as a solo artist and 2Ne1 as a group in fan eyes.Which is extremely painful to any artist regardless of legal business aspects.
medirin says:

September 24, 2009 at 6:53 AM

How legit is this article? Korean media likes to start trouble, so I have a hard time trusting their reports these days. I don’t know what’s going on with YG. Maybe they need to lay low for a while, recharge, and come out with something original. These plagiarism accusations are getting ridiculous.
ABLL says:

September 24, 2009 at 7:01 AM

Before anyone says anything I am a massive YG fan/supporter and have been for a number of years.

My conclusion to this: legal action from Sony is correct, if in the same position I would do the same. I hope YG and all the other companies and producers and composers learn a lesson from this, its not ok to say your song ’sounds similar’ or ‘reminds you of’ another. No song [in my mind] should be like that as even if it was not plagiarised or infringed copyrights.
kalia says:

September 24, 2009 at 9:53 AM

To be honest I think I kind of agreed with ABLL. But yet with medirin. Well. I just hope that this will end in a good deal for Sony and YG.
xxx says:

September 24, 2009 at 1:29 PM

yg needs to just pay up, say sorry,
and start creating more original songs.
disappointed w/ gd and teddy.
but the others like 2ne1, bigbang (and the others who don’t take part in creating the songs) are innocent.
Beau says:

September 24, 2009 at 2:58 PM

*parts from ‘From YG’
Sony ATV broadcasted the fact that they sent YG a warning letter through the show ‘Current Events Magazine 2580′.
YG’s reaction?
Sony ATV only has 10% of the copyrights; the other publishing companies that have 90% of the copyright shares has been quiet about this, but Sony ATV hasn’t.
A few days ago Sony ATV broadcasted that they sent a warning letter to YG as if it was something that YG did really wrong and had to compensate for damages.
However this ‘warning letter’ that Sony ATV has sent is just a official document that you can send a hundred of them a day.
This ‘warning letter’ DOES NOT have any opinion of the original author.
During the month of this criticism, YG has never asked ATV to go easy on us. It is because we did not want to solve this by using ‘unfair methods’.
If we have to go on court because of the original author’s request, we will do so and we are not afraid of that.

Sony’s ATV employee’s opinions have been publish by the mass media.
BUT can these people even contact the original authors?
DO the original authors EVEN CARE about these staff’s opinions?

Teddy and Perry have also been winded into this situation.
The pride of these two amazing composers that have been in YG for atleast ten years each have been hurt deeply because of Sony ATV’s clumsy and careless publishing through the mass media and also they are trying to make the public think that YG is a company full of plagiarizing composers.

I feel like Sony ATV is abusing these popular composers that are also copyright holders at the same time.

UMM THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE ORIGINAL AUTHORS HAS NOT YET BEEN STATED!!
Beau says:

September 24, 2009 at 3:04 PM

Try to not believe all the articles that all being published because a majority of them don’t have the most accurate information. ESPECIALLY when they are translated into English. Right now in Korea it seems like they’re trying to corner YG for some reason…

Sony ATV’s doing some massive advertising through GD and YG-_-
ygfan says:

September 24, 2009 at 3:18 PM

It’s about time a new light is shed on this matter that can seriously affect YG ent negatively. Fight back!
gdfan says:

September 25, 2009 at 12:56 PM

umm i heard the songs and actually they sounded very closely but with different tempo.i know yg composers has their own explanation regarding this issue. it will affect YG entertainment’s integrity w/ regards to their copyrighted songs because this issue will inflict to the innocent minds of other fans not knowing the facts behind this issue.

i hope YG entertainment can release their defensive and convincing explanation about this “plagiarism”
GD.Baby says:

October 2, 2009 at 4:09 AM

SIGHS* This is getting way outta control.
JUT says:

October 5, 2009 at 3:59 AM

PPLS GETTING JEALOUS W YG SUCCESS THATS ALL
A Message To YG Fans « NewWaveAsianCrave says:

October 8, 2009 at 4:22 AM

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