The group SEVENTEEN's representatives have stated that they are requesting information disclosure from overseas courts, including those in the United States, to secure the identity of online malicious commenters.
SEVENTEEN's agency, Pledis Entertainment, revealed on the 17th through the official fan community Weverse, "To protect the rights of our artist SEVENTEEN, we have been continuously collecting evidence regarding malicious posts about the artist through fans' reports and our own monitoring and are taking legal action."
First, regarding the progress of the lawsuits, the agency stated, "In the recent regular lawsuit and the lawsuit regarding the leak of artist information, the charges against the identified defendants have been recognized and have been forwarded to the prosecution, and we are waiting for the disposition results," adding, "We have actively cooperated in the investigative process to ensure that those charged receive severe punishment, and we are doing our best to clarify the artist's damage in cases that are still under investigation."
Furthermore, the agency added, "We have monitored overseas social media channels, domestic communities, music sites, and others comprehensively this quarter to collect evidence of posts and comments infringing on artists' rights and submitted a complaint to investigative authorities based on this evidence."
Additionally, regarding the situation of malicious accounts on the X platform, the agency explained, "Based on the active reports from fans about multiple accounts that have repeatedly created malicious posts targeting the artist, including insults and false rumor dissemination via the 'X' platform, we have initiated legal action that includes criminal complaints and civil lawsuits."
The agency emphasized, "To quickly confirm the identities of the account holders and take follow-up measures, we are currently proceeding with related legal procedures, including requests for information disclosure from overseas courts such as the United States," noting, "However, we are very seriously aware that insults and slander against the artist continue despite existing complaints, and we will strive to strengthen the ongoing documentation and response process to ensure sustained and structural protection rather than a one-time response."
Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN released their 5th studio album 'HAPPY BURSTDAY' last month and continues to maintain a presence in the top ranks of major domestic and international charts.
Next is the full statement from the agency.
Hello.
This is Pledis Entertainment.
We are continuously collecting evidence regarding malicious posts about our artist SEVENTEEN through fans' reports and our own monitoring to protect the rights of our artist. We are also seriously recognizing the situation where many malicious posts involving excessive insults and false rumors targeting SEVENTEEN are being posted, and we would like to provide the major updates below.
1. Update on the progress of lawsuits
First, in the recent regular lawsuit and the lawsuit regarding artist information leaks, the charges against the identified defendants have been recognized and forwarded to the prosecution, and we are awaiting disposition results. We have actively cooperated in the investigative process to ensure that those charged receive severe punishment, and we are doing our best to clarify the artist's damage in cases that are still under investigation.
Additionally, we have monitored overseas social media channels (X, Instagram, YouTube, etc.), domestic communities (Naver, Daum, Nate, Theqoo, DC Inside, Instiz, Ilgan Best, Efem Korea, Women's Era, Jjukbang, Soul Dress, etc.), and music sites (Melon, GENIE MUSIC, Genie Music, etc.) comprehensively this quarter to collect evidence of posts and comments infringing on the artist's rights and submitted a complaint to investigative authorities based on this.
2. Update on the response to malicious accounts on the X platform
Meanwhile, we have initiated legal actions, including criminal complaints and civil lawsuits, against multiple accounts that have repeatedly created malicious posts containing insults and false rumors targeting the artist, based on the active reports provided by fans.
In addition, to promptly confirm the identities of the account holders and take follow-up measures, we are currently proceeding with related legal procedures, including requests for information disclosure from overseas courts such as the United States. However, we are very seriously aware that insults and slander against the artist continue despite existing complaints, and we will strive to strengthen ongoing documentation and response processes to ensure sustained and structural protection rather than just a one-time response.
Furthermore, we will explore all legal means to ensure that any defamation, ridicule, or acts of defaming the artist are met with strict punishment without any leniency or settlement.
3. Notes for reporting
In legal actions to protect our artist, your interest and reports are a great help. If you discover any malicious posts or illegal cases related to the artist, we ask for your active reports through the 'HYBE Artist Rights Violation Reporting Site.'
In this regard, we would like to inform you of important matters to ensure that your reports can lead to effective legal action. The materials you report must clearly identify all information about the post, such as URLs, names of the posters, post content, and the date captured, to take legally meaningful actions.
Therefore, it would greatly assist the legal process if you could submit full capture images of the PC screen or full print files (PDF format) where the information is clearly visible instead of mobile screen captures.
We sincerely thank you for your unwavering love and dedication to SEVENTEEN. Your interest and reports are a tremendous support in protecting the artist, and we are also making every effort from various angles to respond resolutely to malicious acts that infringe on the artist's rights. We will actively continue to respond to ensure that the precious values that the fans and SEVENTEEN have built together are fully protected.
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