Minji, Hani, Daniel, Haerin, and Hyein Take New Steps as New Jeans
Recently, members Minji, Hani, Daniel, Haerin, and Hyein have opened a new social media account and are presenting themselves as the group New Jeans. This move signifies that they are setting up their own path, which has raised concerns among legal experts that this could significantly impact them in future legal proceedings.
On the 16th, a legal expert revealed to Ten Asia, “The five members—Minji, Hani, Daniel, Haerin, and Hyein—have created a social media account named ‘jeanzforfree,’ which is a major violation of their contract with Ador. This will likely work against them when determining accountability for the breach of contract in court.”
Image Source: jeanzforfree Instagram
Even if we assume that the contract with Ador has been terminated as claimed by the members, there are still issues at play. An artist's official account is considered an intangible asset of their agency. Typically, when a contract ends, a separate transfer process is required for official social media accounts. Ignoring the company’s intangible assets and setting up a different account could be viewed as damaging the value of the official account owned by the agency. There may be separate liabilities for intellectual property infringement, and this issue could also negatively influence the validity and trustworthiness of the contract, according to legal experts.
In fact, the newly created social media account ‘jeanzforfree’ has accumulated approximately 2.6 million followers just three days after its launch, as of the afternoon of the 16th. Meanwhile, the official New Jeans account under Ador currently has 13.03 million followers, meaning over 50,000 followers have been lost. This serves as a clear example of how the ‘jeanzforfree’ account is diminishing the value of the official New Jeans account. Industry insiders anticipate that this decline in followers will continue to accelerate.
Recently, speculation has arisen within the industry regarding the potential creation of a family company by the five members, suggesting a ‘family company establishment theory.’ Concerns about breach of contract lawsuits, trademark risks, and declining popularity may make it difficult for them to find investors easily. Most critically, there remains little consensus among industry experts on finding an entertainment company able to support New Jeans while determining the validity of their contract with Ador.
Image Source: Photo Group
On the 28th of last month, the five members notified Ador of their intention to terminate the contract. They stated, “We will fulfill our previously scheduled commitments, but as of November 29, 2024, we will no longer be under Ador’s representation. Ador has no right to interfere with or involve itself in our activities.”
In response, Ador filed a lawsuit on the 3rd to confirm the validity of the contract and requested an honest conversation with the members, but that effort failed to materialize. The five members have continued with their existing schedules while ignoring Ador's pleas, and have now officially launched their independent journey through the new social media account.
However, while they have established the ‘jeanzforfree’ account, it may be premature to consider that they will be fully active under the name New Jeans in the future. According to the patent information search service KISFree, there has been no trademark application for the name New Jeans. Rather than indicating a commitment to officially perform under the name New Jeans, it appears to be a temporary measure to evade using the New Jeans name.