ADOR has secured another legal victory against music video production company Dolphiners Films in the ongoing dispute over the unauthorized release of the director’s cut of NewJeans’ “ETA” music video.
The Seoul High Court has upheld the order requiring the production company to pay 1 billion won (approximately $730,000) in contractual penalties, along with interest for late payment.
The appellate ruling, delivered on October 29, 2026, follows an earlier decision in January that also found Dolphiners Films responsible for breaching its contractual obligations to ADOR.
The case involved the release of an extended version of the “ETA” music video on the production company’s own YouTube channel in August 2024.
The dispute also involved former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin and director Shin Woo Seok, who maintained that permission had been given for the separate release.
However, the court concluded that the production company had failed to follow the written approval requirements specified in its agreement with ADOR.
Seoul High Court Upholds 1 Billion Won Payment Order Against Dolphiners Films
On October 29, the Seoul High Court’s Civil Division 5-3 dismissed the appeals filed by both parties and maintained the payment order against Dolphiners Films.
The company must pay ADOR 1 billion won, approximately $730,000, in contractual penalties, in addition to late-payment interest.
ADOR had also pursued a separate claim seeking 100 million won in personal damages from Shin Woo Seok.
However, the court dismissed that claim, maintaining the outcome of the first trial.
A central issue in the appeal was whether Dolphiners Films had received verbal permission from Min Hee Jin, who was ADOR’s CEO when the video was produced, to upload the director’s cut independently.
Shin and Min maintained that they had reached a verbal understanding during a meeting on July 3, 2023.
Min later testified that there had been an agreement allowing the separate release of the extended version.
However, the appellate court determined that even if verbal permission had been given, the production company still breached its contractual obligations.
It pointed to the addition of footage without prior approval and the publication of the video without removing the Apple logo, which belonged to a production partner.
The court also made a distinction regarding the validity of the contractual penalty.
While the first-instance court recognised a penalty provision worth approximately 4 billion won, the appellate court ruled that only 1 billion won of that amount was legally enforceable.
It considered the remaining portion invalid under civil law principles concerning good morals and public order.
How the “ETA” Music Video Dispute Between ADOR and Dolphiners Films Began
The legal conflict began in August 2024, when Dolphiners Films uploaded the director’s cut of NewJeans’ “ETA” music video to its official YouTube channel.
ADOR objected to the release, arguing that the video had been published without the agency’s prior written approval and without proper consultation with Apple, which was involved in the production.
ADOR subsequently requested that the video be removed.
The disagreement escalated after Shin Woo Seok publicly criticised the agency and removed NewJeans-related videos from the unofficial “Ban Hee Soo” fan channel, which he operated.
Shin claimed that ADOR had requested the removal of the channel’s content. ADOR disputed this account, maintaining that its request had concerned only the “ETA” director’s cut.
In September 2024, ADOR filed a lawsuit seeking 1 billion won in contractual penalties from Dolphiners Films and an additional 100 million won in personal damages from Shin.
The first trial ruled in ADOR’s favour on the contractual claim, prompting both sides to appeal.
The latest decision now upholds the payment order against the production company while rejecting the separate personal damages claim against its director.
The ruling marks another development in the wider dispute surrounding NewJeans’ music video production and management.
With the Seoul High Court maintaining the 1 billion won penalty, ADOR has prevailed on the central contractual issue in both the first and appellate trials.
