'Dispatch' continues the inquiry into how producer Ahn Sung Il got away with using ATTRAKT's money to 'buy' the copyrights to 'Cupid'

In an exclusive report published on July 6 KST, media outlet 'Dispatch' continued to inquire into the controversy surrounding the registered copyrights to the Billboard-topping hit song "Cupid" by FIFTY FIFTY.

Previously, 'Dispatch' uncovered the backstory of how the current situation of mistrust between FIFTY FIFTY, ATTRAKT, and The Givers took root at the very beginning of 'FIFTY Project'. In this report, 'Dispatch' hinted that Ahn Sung Il originally "bought" the song "Cupid" from Adam Von Mentzer, Mac Fellnder-Tsai, and Louise Udin, students at a music school in Sweden. Then, without crediting the three Swedish students in any form, Ahn Sung Il and The Givers claimed 99.5% of the song's copyrights, as indicated by the current Korea Music Copyright Association records.

Now, on July 6 KST, 'Dispatch' revealed a recording of a phone call exchanged between CEO Jeon Hong Joon of ATTRAKT and producer Ahn Sung Il of The Givers.

The above phone call took place some time in April of this year. 

Jeon Hong Joon: "I received a call from an investor today. They asked, 'Hey, you said you bought the song from overseas, right?'. And I said, 'Yeah'. Well, apparently, the Copyright Association had an investigation going to see if I had told a lie. Apparently, it only shows Ahn Sung Il, SIAHN. And I said, 'That's our chief Ahn Sung Il'. So it seems like the Association wanted to check and make sure, because no foreign composers were listed." 

Ahn Sung Il: "Maybe they are inquiring about the publishing rights..."

Jeon Hong Joon: "Why are the foreign composers not listed..."

Ahn Sung Il: "Once everything is registered, the publishing rights will include all that." 

Jeon Hong Joon: "It's been two months, but it's still not fully registered?"

Ahn Sung Il: "Do you mean the 1st album songs?"

Jeon Hong Joon: "No, for 'Cupid'."

Ahn Sung Il: "That will take 3 months."

Ahn Sung Il: "My name was listed first because I am a domestic composer."

Jeon Hong Joon: "Your name was listed earlier [than the foreign composers]?"

Ahn Sung Il: "Because how else would [you] also register for it?"

Jeon Hong Joon: "I see. You still have the receipt for the $10,000 we paid to [the foreign composers], right?"

Ahn Sung Il: "Of course."

According to 'Dispatch', ATTRAKT paid approximately $9,000 USD to the "foreign composers" of FIFTY FIFTY's "Cupid" some time before its release. CEO Jeon Hong Joon has thus far believed that the payment was to purchase the song's copyrights. 

However, according to The Givers, this payment was in fact a fee for ATTRAKT to obtain neighboring rights, or rights related to the public performance of music.

The Givers further claims that it legally obtained all copyrights to "Cupid" from its original composers through a transfer of rights contract. However, this transfer of rights contract was not made with money from ATTRAKT. Therefore, ATTRAKT does not own any of the intellectual property rights to "Cupid", while simultaneously, The Givers cannot be held accountable for not listing the original foreign composers. 

'Dispatch' intends on confirming the claims provided by The Givers by contacting the original composers of "Cupid", Adam Von Mentzer, Mac Fellnder-Tsai, and Louise Udin. According to the media outlet, many insiders from the Korea Music Copyright Association believe that Ahn Sung Il used a "dirty trick" to claim the copyrights to "Cupid" for himself.