HYBE in Crisis— NewJeans Faced with Shocking Lawsuit Over "How Sweet"
- lewishooper1
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Iconic hit "How Sweet" under fire as four songwriters claim copyright infringement against HYBE and ADOR! Read on for all the details!
NewJeans is making headlines again this spring after shaking the K-pop scene, as four songwriters have filed a lawsuit against the group for plagiarism on the hit track 'How Sweet'.
This is not the first legal challenge that the group has faced; however, this time it is not for managerial and contract battles; it is against their creative input on what has been one of K-pop's most successful tracks.
So What Is Being Claimed?
Songwriters Audrey Armacost, Aidan Rodriguez, Adam Gokcebay, and Michael Campanelli (the plaintiffs) have claimed that the hit track 'How Sweet' is in fact a copy of their unreleased demo track 'One of a Kind'.
The songwriters claim that they submitted their demo track to ADOR in January 2024, although sadly, at that time, ADOR rejected it. Only to later release a final track four months later with a "substantially similar" first verse to 'One of a Kind'.
The legal documents point to specific musical overlaps, noting that both songs are set in a 4/4 metre and the key of B-flat minor. These technical terms identify an eight-bar, 31-note melodic sequence that they claim was used without licensing or credit to the songwriters.
Industry Impact
For the K-pop industry, these claims put a whole mountain of pressure on ADOR and HYBE. These labels really need to provide a full audit of the documentation of the song's creative and production process in order to win this legal battle.
It serves as a wake-up call when it comes to making music with global talents; the intellectual property rights really need to be contracted and agreed upon while in production. A question that the Dojeon Media team has, though, is 'Why did the plaintiffs wait until now to make these claims?' As it has been almost two years since the track was released.'
Fan Responses
Fans of New Jeans are divided over these new claims. Some fans are defending NewJeans by stating that this is just an attack on the group, while other fans are comparing side-by-side audios to debate if these plagiarism claims are valid. Fans have already been skeptical since NewJeans had a "facelift" with some members departing from the band. The Dojeon Media team is also divided over these claims; however, more bad press for the group is not good when it comes to their future promotions and overall reputation.
Final Thoughts
The Dojeon Media team is uncertain about what the outcome will mean for the group; however, it does go to show the number of increasing legal battles major music labels face in 2026. Depending on how this legal battle plays out, it could set the tone for how copyright claims and disputes are dealt with within the K-pop industry. For NewJeans, these claims, true or false, have now put fans on edge when it comes to the group's own creativity within their music.
Do you think NewJeans and HYBE really did copy part of this track? Comment below!