Min Hee Jin’s new agency name and logo cited in ongoing alleged plagiarism trial

The similarity between the name and logo of Min Hee Jin’s recently established agency, OOAK, has been raised in court as part of the ongoing alleged plagiarism dispute involving girl group ILLIT.

The Seoul Western District Court’s Civil Division 12 (Presiding Judge Kim Jin Young) held the fourth hearing in a 2 billion KRW (approximately 1.5 million USD) damages lawsuit filed by BELIFT LAB against former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin. Both sides presented their arguments, submitting prepared statements via PowerPoint.

At the hearing, BELIFT LAB’s legal team from Kim & Chang argued, “The concepts available to girl groups are generally limited to ‘innocent’ or ‘girl crush,’ so some similarity between groups is natural. NJZ also resembles other pre-existing groups. Regarding logos, criticism of similarity to other girl groups has been raised. Even the styling of Japanese girl groups has been noted. Moreover, the defendant [Min Hee Jin] recently founded OOAK, which has faced criticism for branding similar to other companies, including the fingerprint motif.”

Min Hee Jin’s new agency, OOAK, has been controversial due to its apparent resemblance to the 50-year-old Canadian handmade crafts company, One of a Kind, both in name and logo. OOAK uses a thumbprint logo alongside the abbreviation “ooak,” which closely mirrors the Canadian company’s branding, which also features a thumbprint and employs “OOAK” as an event abbreviation.

BELIFT LAB further alleged that Min acted out of personal gain, claiming, “She had no hesitation in undermining other idol groups, targeting ILLIT, which has a relatively smaller fandom. Even during her tenure at ADOR, she sought advice from Sejong Law Firm regarding ILLIT’s alleged plagiarism. The firm advised that litigation would be difficult and suggested only public relations measures. Nevertheless, the defendant leveraged the plagiarism issue to create sensational headlines, resulting in significant losses to BELIFT LAB, even though experts confirmed there was no choreographic plagiarism.”

In response, Min Hee Jin’s legal team presented online community screenshots, arguing that it was the public, media, and critics who first raised suspicions of plagiarism. They added, “Discussion of alleged plagiarism concerning ILLIT and NewJeans lasted only about five minutes in a two-hour press conference. Using the words ‘copy’ or ‘plagiarism’ does not automatically constitute copyright infringement. When the core issues are examined, the similarities between ILLIT and NewJeans are evident, and the use of these terms cannot be deemed as spreading false information.”

Min Hee Jin previously held a press conference on April 25 last year, claiming that BELIFT LAB had copied NewJeans’ concept and overall production when planning ILLIT. BELIFT LAB filed a 2 billion KRW (approximately 1.5 million USD) lawsuit for defamation in June 2024, while Min’s side responded with a 5 billion KRW (about 3.45 million USD) counterclaim in November 2024. The fifth hearing in the damages case is scheduled for January 9, 2025.