The KOMCA Clarifies That G-Dragon Has Not Violated Copyright Laws After News Of YG Being Raided For Alleged Copyright Infringement Gets Reported
Singer G-Dragon has been embroiled in a copyright law violation controversy. However, Dispatch reported that he is not the copyright holder, and it is highly unlikely that he earned any revenue from the track.
Recently, it was reported that YG was raided in relation to alleged copyright infringement. Composer A filed a complaint last November against G-Dragon, Yang Hyun Suk, the CEO of YG Plus, and others, accusing them of violating copyright law. A claimed that a song they composed in 2001, “G-DRAGON” (2001), was used without permission by YG.
“G-DRAGON” was included in the hip-hop compilation album “2001 Korean Hip-Hop Flex” and was registered with the Copyright Association in 2001, with A credited for both composition and arrangement.
This track was later included in G-Dragon’s 2009 solo concert live album under the title “When I Was Thirteen.” A considered this to be an unauthorized reproduction and filed a copyright violation lawsuit against YG.
However, G-Dragon was not listed as the copyright holder of the song in question. In other words, he is unrelated to the alleged copyright violation. His only involvement was performing the song in 2009.
A Korea Music Copyright Association representative told Dispatch, “G-Dragon is not registered as the songwriter of the track, so unless copyright royalties were paid to him, it would be difficult to hold him responsible.”
The association also denied reports of an office seizure, stating, “Some media outlets reported that the police raided our office, but that is not true.”
YG explained that the situation was a misunderstanding due to two songs sharing the same name. There are actually two different songs titled “G-DRAGON”: one composed by A in 2001, and another composed by Perry in 2001 (“G-DRAGON” Feat. Perry).
A YG representative said, “We thought having two songs with the same title could cause confusion, so we simply changed A’s song title to its opening lyrics, ‘When I Was Thirteen.’ It was not an unauthorized reproduction.”
The Copyright Association also viewed it as unlikely to be unauthorized reproduction, stating, “Only the title was changed, so it’s not a copyright violation. However, depending on the investigative body’s judgment, there could be a possibility of moral rights infringement (right to maintain the work’s integrity).”
The Seoul Mapo Police Station has received A’s complaint and begun investigating. A police representative told Dispatch, “The investigation is ongoing, but we cannot confirm specific details.”
G-Dragon’s side only became aware of the lawsuit reports later. A G-Dragon representative told Dispatch on the 14th, “G-Dragon has no involvement in creating the setlist and knows nothing about the issues related to that song.”
Source: (A)
