JTBC: "Violation of Copyright and Trademark Acts, Breach of Trust in Business"
Jang Siwon: "Copyright Belongs to C1... JTBC Is Acting Illegally"
JTBC has filed a lawsuit against producer Jang Siwon and the production company Studio C1, who are in conflict with the broadcaster over the intellectual property (IP) rights to the baseball variety show "Choegang Baseball." JTBC claims that Studio C1 has continued to infringe on the IP rights of "Choegang Baseball" by organizing live games with content similar to the show.
On the 29th, JTBC announced that it had filed a complaint the previous day (the 28th) against Studio C1 and Jang Siwon for alleged violations of the Copyright Act, Trademark Act, breach of trust in the course of business, destruction of electronic records, and obstruction of business.
In the complaint, JTBC stated that Studio C1 used the "Choegang Baseball" trademark without JTBC's permission. It also claimed that producer Jang set the compensation for Studio C1's directors without a resolution from the shareholders' meeting and personally benefited from this, constituting a breach of trust. JTBC further pointed out that, after the program production contract ended, Studio C1 deleted files related to "Choegang Baseball" that were stored on JTBC's server without authorization.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Jang Siwon shared Studio C1's official statement via his social media account.
Studio C1 stated, "If the idea for the baseball program named 'Choegang Baseball' is subject to copyright protection, then the copyright belongs to its creator, Studio C1." The company added, "The rights that JTBC claims to have are only those transferred from Studio C1, the original copyright holder, for the purpose of OTT (over-the-top) sales and retransmission, as stipulated in the co-production contract for the delivery of filmed content."
They continued, "Over the past two months, JTBC has committed a variety of illegal acts of interference, with involvement from the highest levels to working-level staff." The statement listed specific actions, including interference with stadium rentals, implicit threats to other channels, attempts to coax key cast and crew members, unauthorized entry into the editing room, and property damage, describing each as a serious illegal act.
The company further claimed, "They have even failed to pay the agreed-upon proceeds from the live event and have concealed the scale of the revenue. Yet, in a brazen reversal, they are accusing us of embezzling labor costs that were agreed upon during the planning of the season's filming." Studio C1 argued, "This goes beyond the abuse of power by a channel; it undermines the foundation of the video content business and infringes on the rights of fans and viewers to enjoy content."
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