NewJeans' Danielle Faces Legal Hurdles Amidst Collaboration Rumors with Emotional Oranges

NewJeans member Danielle was recently at the center of speculation regarding her involvement in a collaboration with pop duo Emotional Oranges. However, the rumors were quickly dispelled by the artists involved. Legal experts suggest that due to a court injunction, the likelihood of NewJeans members releasing music independently is low. The legal community is divided on whether non-profit musical activities without revenue generation could be considered a breach of the injunction.

On October 20, Danielle appeared in a photo posted on Emotional Oranges' official social media, sparking rumors of her featuring in their music. The post included emojis representing both Emotional Oranges and NewJeans, along with the caption, "Please wait a little longer. Coming soon." The post was later deleted.

Emotional Oranges clarified on their official social media, stating, "There is no collaboration with Danielle," and explained that they were merely assisting in producing a track for Olivia Marsh.

Currently, Danielle and her group NewJeans are restricted from independent entertainment activities due to a court injunction. The court upheld a request from their agency, ADOR, to prohibit the members from engaging in independent contracts or activities. An appeal is ongoing after the members' objection was dismissed.

As a result, NewJeans was unable to release their group track "Pit Stop" under the name NJZ, performing it only once on stage.

Attorney Sang-rok Ko from Phil Law Firm commented on the situation, stating, "Independent activities by the members are not permissible, regardless of whether they are under the name NewJeans, NJZ, or as individuals." He emphasized that any entertainment activities require prior approval from ADOR.

Attorney Sung-soo Jang from The All Law Firm added, "Individual activities by the members are legally challenging. Even from the perspective of their basic right to work, if they engage in revenue-generating activities, they may be liable for damages under their exclusive contract."

Legal experts agree that if NewJeans members engage in non-profit activities, such as releasing music or music videos without copyright registration, it is unclear whether this would be subject to sanctions.

Attorney Jang noted, "If the activities do not generate revenue, it is difficult to argue that they cause significant harm to ADOR. Sanctions based on revenue recovery are ineffective. While such activities are prohibited by contract, there is a gray area regarding the effectiveness of actual sanctions."

Attorney Ko stated, "There is a clear breach of the exclusive contract. However, whether non-profit activities constitute entertainment activities under the injunction is debatable." He added that if no harm is caused to ADOR by releasing music, additional damages might not be required.

The injunction specifies that "activities as a musician, such as songwriting, composing, performing, and singing, are prohibited," but does not explicitly mention revenue generation. The industry is divided on whether "activities as a musician" are limited to commercial activities or include all musical endeavors.