ADOR, the label behind NewJeans, scored a partial win in the first trial of its damages lawsuit against the group's music video producer Dolphin Kidnappers. The court recognized the company's liability for damages but rejected claims against director Shin Woo-seok personally.
On the 13th, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 62 (Presiding Judge Lee Hyun-seok) ruled in ADOR's roughly ₩1.1 billion damages suit against Dolphin Kidnappers and director Shin, ordering: "Dolphin Kidnappers shall pay ADOR ₩1 billion plus accrued delay interest." However, the court did not find Shin personally liable for damages.
The dispute erupted after Dolphin Kidnappers separately uploaded a director's cut of NewJeans' 'ETA' music video to its YouTube channel in August 2024. ADOR argued the clip is company-owned IP and that releasing it without prior written consent violated the contract and constituted an unlawful act.
Director Shin pushed back, claiming ADOR's takedown request was being stretched to mean all NewJeans-related videos must be removed. He then deleted every NewJeans clip posted on his unofficial fandom channel, Ban Hee-soo, publicly escalating the conflict. ADOR countered that it had "only requested the removal of the 'ETA' director's cut" and never asked for other videos to be deleted or uploads halted, calling Shin's claims false.
The standoff moved to the courtroom. Dolphin Kidnappers argued it could publish the cut based on a verbal agreement with then-ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin. Min even testified as a witness, stating: "By industry practice, a director sharing their own work is not an issue, and this was verbally agreed in advance."
But the bench sided with ADOR, stressing the primacy of written contracts. The court ruled that posting the video without prior written consent breached the agreement, making Dolphin Kidnappers liable for damages. It nevertheless exempted Shin from personal liability, finding it difficult to conclude he directly caused the loss.
While this ruling helps close one chapter in ADOR's clash with external production staff around NewJeans, broader legal battles involving the label and the artists are still ongoing. ADOR has already faced a separate court decision over the validity of NewJeans' exclusive contracts, and ties with some members reportedly remain unresolved.
Industry insiders say the decision "reaffirms the line between creators' artistic freedom and production companies' rights," predicting it will have a notable ripple effect on K-pop content production norms going forward.