[🇺🇸]HYBE Cracks Down on Counterfeit K-Pop Idol Goods, Seizing 19,000 Items

The Korean Intellectual Property Office’s trademark special investigative unit has referred B, the CEO of Company A, to the prosecution on charges of violating the trademark law, as announced on the 24th. This case targets Company A, which produced counterfeit goods infringing on the intellectual property (IP) rights of nine popular K-pop idol groups, including BTS, SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT), ENHYPEN, and LE SSERAFIM.

In this crackdown, more than 19,356 counterfeit items were seized, including photo cards, socks, pens, clothing, mirrors, keychains, hats, mobile phone accessories, and tumblers. Company A had been selling these illegal products to foreign tourists and K-pop fans in Myeongdong, Seoul, profiting unlawfully.

HYBE has been consistently monitoring and cracking down on the IP violations of its artists both online and offline. Last year, they seized 13,691 cases of counterfeit goods in the domestic e-commerce market and 278,568 cases overseas, while also taking action against 17,710 instances of unauthorized paid video distribution on SNS.

Additionally, they educated customs officers on distinguishing between authentic and counterfeit items, resulting in the discovery of 3,462 IP-infringing goods last year.

HYBE has pledged to continue working closely with the Korean Intellectual Property Office to protect the IP of their artists and to persist in efforts to eradicate counterfeit goods and improve public awareness.

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