[INFO] DBSK, SHINee, Rain - Unauthorized Usage of Music

In the aftermath of the completion of the various Gayo Daejuns in Korea, there was news last Friday that some singers had used some music for their performances without the required permission from copyright holders.



According to reports, DBSK leader U-Know Yunho and Rain had used Justin Timberlake Magic as the background music for their performances in the SBS Gayo Daejun and KBS Gayo Daechuk respectively. But the tune was apparently used without any permission being sought from the copyright holders. In addition, Shinee’s Taemin has also met with the same problem, using Usher Dat Girl Right There for his performance at the SBS Gayo Daejun.

A representative from SonyBMG who holds the rights for both songs expressed that Magic and Dat Girl Right There were songs that had not been released officially through any channels. They thus do not understand how they had gotten their hands on the songs. Although Magic was illegally uploaded in October last year but it wasn’t included in any of Justin Timberlake’s album thus they are wondering how did they get their hands on the track then.

DBSK and Shinee’s manager responded by saying that they didn’t know that the song was obtained through illegal means and expressed their regrets. Rain’s management, J. Tunes expressed that they did not use the music illegally on purpose but only knew that it was an American song. Some Korean netizens felt that it was a national insult. Even though the singers have called on fans not to download music illegally, why are they infringing on copyrights themselves?

Credits: coolsmurf @ wordpress.com + uponashore @ dbsgLJcomm