BTS’s record label has taken the first step to sue an unidentified X user who allegedly leaked songs, lyrics and artwork Arirang Before the release of the chart-topping comeback album.
BigHit Music, the subsidiary of HYBE that serves as BTS’s label home, launched US legal proceedings on Thursday (April 9) to search for the owner of the @jwngkcck account. BigHit claims this user posted excerpts from Arirang on X (formerly Twitter) in early March, ahead of highly anticipated decline BTS’s first album in six years.
Court petition, received by boardAsks a US judge to issue a subpoena requiring X to disclose the identity of this user. BigHit intends to use the information to bring a civil lawsuit against the user in South Korea, where the label says it will seek financial damages for copyright and trade secret infringement.
“BigHit and BTS invest extensive resources in planning and executing the most effective release of the album, songs, lyrics and related content so as to have the greatest impact on potential listeners and the market when released in the media,” the court document states. “The leak of BTS’s album destroyed the element of surprise the applicant was building for its release, negatively impacting its reputation and sales.”
The alleged leaks in question are no longer available on the @jwngkcck BigHit says the user removed these posts – and changed their display name to “BTS Arirang Leaked” – after submitting a copyright infringement report to the social media platform.
Representatives for BigHit and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday (April 13).
HYBE and its subsidiaries regularly turn to US courts for help when they seek to identify and prosecute anonymous Internet users in Korea. This is because US-based social media platforms like X and YouTube are only subject to subpoenas issued by judges here.
Most of these cases arise when HYBE seeks legal action in Korea for defamation, which could be a civil or criminal violation in the country. The K-pop giant has, in the past, asked US judges to expose users who spread false rumors online about major groups like Newz, Seventeen and TWS.
Arirang was released on March 20 and spent its first three weeks at number 1 on the Billboard 200. The album’s lead single, “Swim”, debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains in the top 5 of the chart.
