Recently, Big Bang leader G-Dragon was embroiled in a copyright infringement controversy. However, he did not generate any revenue from the song and his name was not mentioned in the song in question “I’m Thirteen”.
Last November, composer A sued G-Dragon, Yang Hyun-suk, and the CEO of YG Plus for copyright infringement. He claimed that YG had copied and used his 2001 composition, “G-DRAGON.”
“G-DRAGON” is included on the hip-hop compilation album “2001 Korea Hip-Hop Flex.” It was registered with the Korea Copyright Association in 2001. A is credited with the composition and arrangement.
The song was included on G-Dragon’s 2009 solo live album under the title “My Age is Thirteen.” A deemed this unauthorized copying and sued YG for copyright infringement.
However, G-Dragon was not listed as the copyright owner of the song. That means he had nothing to do with Mr. A’s supposed copyright issue. He only performed the song himself in 2009.
A representative from the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) told Dispatch, “G-Dragon was not registered as the copyright owner of the song,” adding, “Unless royalties were paid, it would be difficult to hold him accountable.”
KOMCA further explained that the report of the office raid was a false report. The representative added, “Some media outlets reported that the police raided the KOMCA office. This is untrue.”
So why does Mr. A claim that his song was plagiarized? It’s true that G-Dragon’s 2010 concert album contained a song titled “My Age, Thirteen.”
However, YG Entertainment clarified that the claim stemmed from a misunderstanding stemming from the song’s title. In fact, there are two songs titled “G-DRAGON.” One is “G-DRAGON,” composed by Mr. A in 2001, and the other is “G-DRAGON (Feat. Perry)” by Perry in 2001.
G-Dragon performed a medley of these two “G-DRAGON” songs during a 2009 concert. They performed “G-DRAGON” (Mr. A’s version) -> Storm -> Handsome Gentleman -> “G-DRAGON” (Feat. Perry) consecutively.
YG Entertainment revised the setlist when releasing the concert album in 2010. Mr. A’s “G-DRAGON” was changed to “내 날 13 (My Age 13)”, and Perry’s “G-DRAGON” was written as “G-DRAGON.”
An official explained, “We thought there might be confusion because the two song titles were the same,” and added, “We simply changed Mr. A’s song to ‘내 날 13 (My Age 13)’ by taking the first verse of the lyrics. This is not an unauthorized copy.”
The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) also found it difficult to consider the song as an unauthorized copy. They stated, “Since the title was only changed, it is not an unauthorized copy.” However, they added, “There is a possibility of copyright infringement (right to maintain integrity) under the judgment of the investigative agency.”
Furthermore, determining copyright royalties is also difficult. “Medley-style songs are difficult to count as streams,” he added, adding, “If they’re recognized as original tracks, a fee will be paid, but such cases are rare.”
The Mapo Police Station in Seoul received a complaint from Mr. A and launched an investigation. A police official told Dispatch, “We are currently investigating,” and provided a brief statement, saying, “We cannot confirm specific details of the investigation.”
GD’s agency was belatedly informed of the lawsuit. On the 14th, a representative from GD told Dispatch, “GD is not involved in the creation of the setlist at all,” and “We are completely unaware of any issues related to the song in question.”
