IU’s agency EDAM has addressed the claims that they’ve ignored a plagiarism suit filed by German Band NEKTA.
On the 21st of June, IU’s agency, EDAM Entertainment, released a statement and disclosed an email from 10 years ago regarding the plagiarism allegations related to her song “The Red Shoes”.
In response to a notice posted on Nordend Entertainment Publishing’s official website, EDAM Entertainment confirmed that they have reviewed the email received from Nordend Entertainment and sent a response. They also revealed some parts of the email correspondence from 2013, which was a response from IU’s former agency, Loen Entertainment, through their lawyer.
Nordend Entertainment Publishing is the official music publishing company that released “Here’s Us,” the original song that raised suspicions of plagiarism for IU’s “The Red Shoes”. “Here’s Us” was produced through a collaboration between Nordend Entertainment Publishing and the German band Nekta.
Previously, Nordend Entertainment Publishing announced an official statement on their website, stating that the claim that they had clarified the copyright issue regarding “The Red Shoes” was not true. They also claimed that they attempted to contact IU’s side in 2013 but did not receive a response.
Nordend Entertainment Publishing stated, “The various Korean media reports claiming that the person responsible for the production of ‘“The Red Shoes” contacted our company or Nekta to clarify the copyright infringement issue are not true. Until now, IU, as well as Loen Entertainment and EDAM Entertainment, have not responded to our attempts to contact them or initiate any discussions regarding this issue. Our attempts to reach out for discussion on this matter in 2013 are documented in our records.”
Furthermore, they added, “Based on the statement made by producer Cho Young-chul, who was involved in producing IU’s album at that time, we attempted to contact EDAM Entertainment via email on May 28, 2023, but we have not received a response to this date. It seems that those responsible have no intention of preventing harm to the artists and related parties. Such actions are damaging the reputation of the Korean music industry.”
Nordend Entertainment Publishing claims that they have lost contact with IU’s side, but EDAM Entertainment contradicts this, leading to conflicting statements from both parties. According to the emails disclosed by EDAM Entertainment, Loen Entertainment received an email from Nordend Entertainment Publishing on November 29, 2013, and responded through their legal representative five days later on December 4.
The email sent by Loen Entertainment stated, “We are currently reviewing the mentioned issue, and we will respond as soon as the review is completed. Also, please confirm whether you agree that all conversations between the parties involved or legal advisors regarding this issue should be kept strictly confidential. We will await your response regarding this matter.”
IU’s “The Red Shoes” was embroiled in a plagiarism controversy back in 2013. At the time, IU’s side stated, “While some melodies in ‘Here’s Us’ and the second verse (B section) of The Red Shoes may sound similar, the chord progressions of the two songs are completely different. ‘“The Red Shoes” follows the chord progression of B-flat minor-Bm7-Cm7-Cm6-F7sus4-F7, while ‘Here’s Us’ follows the dominant scale chord progression of B-flat major.” They drew a line against the allegations.
Source: (A)
