On the 9th, ADOR released an official statement via social media, stating, “The music video production service contract between ADOR and Dolphin Kidnappers clearly states that the rights to both the music video and any derivative works belong to ADOR. Therefore, uploading a video containing NewJeans’ IP on Dolphin Kidnappers’ channel without ADOR’s approval is a clear breach of contract.”
ADOR further explained, “For this reason, we requested Dolphin Kidnappers to either provide proof (such as emails or KakaoTalk messages) of an agreement and approval for the use of copyright and the artist’s likeness, or remove the ‘Director’s Cut.’ Protecting the artist’s work is the label’s rightful duty.”
They also revealed an internal Slack message where ADOR had requested Dolphin Kidnappers to “delete or remove the brand-specific parts from the ‘ETA Music Video Director’s Cut’ in accordance with the request of the advertiser.” ADOR emphasized, “We never asked Dolphin Kidnappers to delete the video on the Ban Hee-soo channel. We were simply conducting a fact-checking process on the ‘ETA Music Video Director’s Cut’ to protect the artist’s copyright, and we have no desire for the Ban Hee-soo channel to disappear.”
ADOR added, “Overreacting to the claim of contract violation by deleting all content is an action rooted in the creator’s personal distress. We hope this no longer exacerbates the anxiety of the artists and their fandom by using the YouTube channel as leverage.”
Previously, Shin Woo-seok, the CEO of Dolphin Kidnappers, claimed that he had to delete NewJeans’ music videos and related content from his channel due to ADOR’s demands. However, ADOR refuted this, stating that they only requested the suspension of the unauthorized ‘ETA Director’s Cut’ video.
Below is the full statement from ADOR:
“Hello, this is ADOR.
The music video production service contract between ADOR and Dolphin Kidnappers clearly states that the rights to both the music video and any derivative works belong to ADOR. Therefore, uploading a video containing NewJeans’ IP on Dolphin Kidnappers’ channel without ADOR’s approval is a clear breach of contract.
For this reason, we requested Dolphin Kidnappers to either provide proof (such as emails or KakaoTalk messages) of an agreement and approval for the use of copyright and the artist’s likeness, or remove the ‘Director’s Cut.’ Protecting the artist’s work is the label’s rightful duty. If Dolphin Kidnappers has an agreement with ADOR, they can simply present it. Since we have received no such proof, ADOR is bound to follow the rules to protect the artist’s work.
It is also a clear fact that ADOR received a request from the advertiser to “delete or remove the brand-specific parts from the ‘ETA Music Video Director’s Cut’.” (The image below shows the internal Slack message at the time.)
We never asked Dolphin Kidnappers to delete the video on the Ban Hee-soo channel. Ban Hee-soo’s channel was created following ADOR’s ‘Online Channel Creation Guidelines.’ ADOR was simply conducting a fact-checking process on the ‘ETA Music Video Director’s Cut’ to protect the artist’s copyright and did not mention the Ban Hee-soo channel. ADOR also does not wish for the Ban Hee-soo channel to disappear. Dolphin Kidnappers is free to operate the channel, as long as they adhere to the contractual obligations concerning the artist’s work.
The overreaction of deleting all content in response to the claim of contract violation, rooted in the creator’s distress, does not seem to serve either NewJeans or their fans. We hope this no longer exacerbates the anxiety of the artists and fandom by using the YouTube channel as leverage.
We apologize to the NewJeans members and Bunnies for causing concern with this unnecessary controversy. ADOR will work to resolve this issue as quickly as possible, based on the accurate facts.
Thank you.”