An Seong-il, CEO of The Givers, the content production company at the center of the dispute involving girl group FIFTY FIFTY, has been cleared of allegations of forging private documents.
According to sources, the Gangnam Police recently decided not to refer An’s case for prosecution, citing insufficient evidence to support the charges of document forgery and the use of forged documents.
Back in December, FIFTY FIFTY member KEENA had filed a complaint against An, claiming her signature was used without consent on documents related to copyright registration.
However, the police concluded that the documents in question were likely signed under broad authorization. They determined that The Givers, having entered into a service agreement, was effectively overseeing all matters related to FIFTY FIFTY’s music activities — making it reasonable to believe that KEENA had given general consent for the signatures.
Previously, The Givers had also won a legal battle against ATTRAKT, FIFTY FIFTY’s agency, over the copyright to the group’s hit song "Cupid."
The court ruled, “Substantial actions such as contract negotiations and cost burdens were handled through The Givers, which establishes their ownership of the creative rights.” The ruling also stated, “The wording of the copyright transfer agreement clearly indicates that The Givers is the rightful party involved.”
More recently, a separate lawsuit filed by ATTRAKT against the SBS program "Unanswered Questions" was also dismissed. The court found that the program’s broadcast content could not be considered false.
In response, ATTRAKT released recordings of conversations between An Seong-il and KEENA, stating, “The recordings clearly show that An acknowledged and bore responsibility for the alleged forgery, making it difficult to understand the police’s decision to drop the case.”
The agency added, “This is a serious crime involving clear deception and the stripping of rights from rookie artists. We will continue to take all necessary steps to uncover the truth and protect our artist’s rights.”
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)