Overview
- All Surface Publishing filed a copyright infringement complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which it filed Tuesday, alleging that NewJeans' 2023 song "ETA" copies a 2005 track called "Samir's Theme."
- The suit names multiple defendants including NewJeans, producer 250, lyricist Beenzino, ADOR, HYBE, BANA and Apple for their roles in producing, distributing or using the song in advertising.
- The complaint says specific musical elements were copied from "Samir's Theme," pointing to a syncopated horn melody, a 16th-note rhythmic structure and a bass drum pattern as the contested elements.
- ADOR has said the track was sourced through BANA during former CEO Min Hee-jin's tenure and that the company is reviewing internal records to see whether proper clearance and similarity checks were done.
- If the court finds willful infringement the plaintiff seeks remedies including permanent injunctions, disgorgement of profits and statutory damages that can reach $150,000 per work, a risk heightened by the song's use in major commercial placements and by prior plagiarism claims against the group's catalog.