NewJeans’ Label ADOR secures 1 Billion Won Victory in ‘ETA’ Copyright dispute

The ruling brings an end to a prolonged copyright dispute centering on the music video for NewJeans’ hit track ETA.

• ADOR wins court case against Dolphiners Films over NewJeans' ETA video dispute
• Dolphiners Films ordered to pay ADOR 1 billion KRW plus 12% annual interest
• Court rejects ADOR's separate damages claim against director Shin Woo Seok

Did our AI summary help?

In a significant legal development surrounding NewJeans, their label ADOR has achieved a decisive court victory against Dolphiners Films, the production studio responsible for helping shape the group’s visual identity.

The ruling brings an end to a prolonged copyright dispute centering on the music video for NewJeans’ hit track ETA. ADOR has secured a major win in its damages lawsuit against Dolphiners Films, with the court awarding 1 billion KRW (approximately 700,000 USD) out of the 1.1 billion KRW (around 750,000 USD) that ADOR initially sought in compensation.

According to reports from All KPop, on January 13 at 2 p.m. KST, the Civil Division 62 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Hyun Seok, delivered its ruling in the damages lawsuit filed by ADOR against Dolphiners Films and director Shin Woo Seok.

Dolphiners Films was ordered by the court to pay ADOR 1 billion KRW (roughly 700,000 USD) plus 12% annual interest starting on December 14, 2024, until the entire amount is paid. Nevertheless, the court rejected ADOR's independent lawsuit against director Shin, which sought damages of 100 million KRW.

For background, ADOR first sued Dolphiners Films in September 2024, claiming tort liability and breach of contract, and demanded 1 billion KRW in damages. Concurrently, ADOR filed a further 100 million KRW defamation lawsuit against Shin Woo Seok.

Director Shin, who worked closely with former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, is in charge of Dolphiners Films, a content studio that produced several music videos for NewJeans. The studio also operated the Ban Heesoo channel—a name derived from NewJeans’ fanbase, Bunnies.

The dispute originated in August 2024 when Dolphiners Films uploaded a director’s cut version of NewJeans’ ETA music video to its official YouTube channel. ADOR requested the removal of the video, citing that it had been posted without prior consultation or approval from advertisers.

In response, Shin posted critical messages on social media, claiming that all NewJeans-related videos previously produced and uploaded by Dolphiners Films could no longer be made public. He subsequently deleted all content from the Ban Heesoo channel.

ADOR refuted these allegations, claiming that it had never asked for the removal or suspension of all NewJeans-related content and had only asked for the director's cut to be removed because there was no prior consent.

As hostilities increased, Shin filed a criminal complaint in November 2024, claiming that he had been defamed by ADOR's public remarks. ADOR responded by moving forward with its civil lawsuit against Shin and Dolphiners Films.

Also read: Danielle addresses her exit from NewJeans publicly for the first time: ‘I fought until the very end to be together’

Whether there had been a prior agreement regarding the upload of the director's cut video was the main question in the case. While ADOR insisted that no such prior approval existed, Shin and former CEO Min Hee Jin contended that verbal consent had been given.

This verdict also follows another major development involving the group. On December 29, 2025, ADOR announced the termination of its exclusive contract with Danielle Marsh, officially removing her from NewJeans. This decision reportedly left the 20-year-old artist facing legal action and financial penalties, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing disputes surrounding the group.