Producer of Fifty Fifty’s ‘Cupid’ refutes agency’s claims over contract, copyright

The producer of K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty’s hit song “Cupid” on Thursday refuted its agency’s claims in connection with their exclusive contracts and the song’s copyright in an intensifying legal dispute over the rookie group.

The Givers, a content creation company led by Ahn Sung-il, also known as SIAHN, denied entertainment agency Attrakt’s claims that he attempted to poach the quartet and secretly registered the song’s copyright on his own.

The Givers said Ahn did not attempt to lure its members to sign another contract with a third party and it had already owned the copyright of “Cupid” even before the Fifty Fifty project began.

Ahn produced and co-wrote the lyrics for “Cupid,” and three other Swedish producers composed the song.

“The allegations Attrakt unveiled to the media are completely false,” The Givers said in a statement. “We have maintained a neutral position between Attrakt and Fifty Fifty members.”

On Tuesday, Attrakt said it had reported Ahn and three others to the police for alleged obstruction of business, destroying electronic documents, fraud and breach of trust over a litany of wrongdoings.

The next day, the members unveiled that they had filed for an injunction to suspend their exclusive contracts with Attrakt, citing lack of financial transparency and driving them hard without considering their health condition.

The Givers, which is in charge of managing intellectual property, as well as producing albums and managing groups as an external vendor of Attrack, said it faithfully fulfilled its contract terms and played a bridging role between the agency and members.

“Although Attrakt and its CEO Jeon Hong-joon are well aware of these facts, they spread false information and therefore defamed The Givers, its CEO and employees and obstructed its business,” the company said.

The legal dispute comes just seven months after Fifty Fifty’s debut, which shed light on the small-sized entertainment agency’s successful marketing strategy in the global market.

The K-pop quartet made its debut in November and quickly rose to global fame after becoming the fastest K-pop group to enter the U.S. Billboard’s Hot 100 songs chart with “Cupid.” The song has stayed on the chart and the British Official Singles Chart for 13 weeks in a row, making Fifty Fifty the longest-staying K-pop girl group on both charts.

The group is currently taking a temporary break as one member recently underwent surgery and will require an additional one or two months for recovery, according to its agency.