As ADOR and NewJeans clash over the use of the new name “NJZ,” legal experts are weighing in on the issue.
On February 7, NewJeans members (Haerin, Hyein, Hanni, Minji, and Danielle) announced their departure from their agency, ADOR, and revealed their new team name, NJZ. They declared their intention to continue independently and announced plans to debut a new song at ComplexCon in Hong Kong from March 21–23.
However, ADOR expressed regret over the situation, stating, “It is unfortunate that the members made this decision unilaterally before a legal ruling on the validity of their exclusive contract with ADOR.” The agency also urged media outlets to continue referring to the group as “NewJeans,” emphasizing that the claim of contract termination is only the members’ assertion.
Despite ADOR’s stance, the NewJeans members remain firm in using the name NJZ, signaling their refusal to return to the agency. However, as the lawsuit over the validity of their exclusive contracts is still ongoing, legal experts have raised concerns about the legal risks of their independent activities.
Attorney Ko Sang Rok from the YouTube channel ‘Attack on Lawyer’ explained, “The ‘NewJeans’ trademark belongs to ADOR. Even if the members argue that the contract was terminated due to ADOR’s fault, this does not grant them rights to the trademark. If they were released from their contracts without penalties, using the trademark would still constitute infringement. It appears they created the abbreviation ‘NJZ’ as a workaround, but there is still a trademark infringement issue.”
Attorney Ko further warned, “Under trademark law, infringement is a criminal offense. Their choice of name seems to carry the risk of criminal liability. Trademark infringement is assessed based on the likelihood of public confusion, and in this case, the members themselves are continuing activities under a similar name. There is a 99.9% chance that legal authorities will deem ‘NJZ’ a confusingly similar trademark to ‘NewJeans.’”
Attorney Jin Bo Ra also raised concerns about the group’s ongoing activities, including signing new advertising contracts independent of ADOR. She cautioned, “If the lawsuit determines that the exclusive contract is still valid, the members may be required to share profits and could face penalties for breaching their contract. Taking such actions at this stage is extremely risky.”
Attorney Jung Jong Chae from LAW&CASE added, “If NewJeans continues its activities despite their contract still being valid, they will be liable for significant penalties outlined in the contract. Additionally, if ADOR suffers damages, the members could be responsible for compensation.”
Referring to the Standard Exclusive Contract for Singers issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Attorney Jung explained, “If an artist unilaterally breaches their contract without fault on the agency’s part, they must compensate the agency with an amount calculated by multiplying their average annual revenue for two years by the remaining contract period.”
The first hearing in ADOR’s lawsuit to confirm the validity of NewJeans’ exclusive contracts is scheduled for April 3. The outcome of this legal battle is expected to have significant implications for the group’s future.
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