LM Entertainment Under Fire For Filing Trademark Application For Yoon Jisung’s Name

According to YTN Star, LM Entertainment has filed a trademark application for Yoon Jisung‘s English name, “YOON JISUNG”, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

While an artist’s agency has the right to trademark the artist’s name, this does not often happen as it can be seen as a strict form of control over the artist’s activities in the entertainment industry.

In the past, MBK Entertainment trademarked the name of their girl group, T-ARA, which eventually caused friction between the agency and the artists at the end of their contract.

If Yoon Jisung’s trademark application becomes finalized, it is likely that Yoon Jisung will have many difficulties using his name when or if he decides to switch agencies. This is because LM Entertainment will then hold all rights to the use of his name.

Netizens have been criticizing LM Entertainment for filing the trademark application, claiming that they were going too far to restrict his activities.

• “How can they trademark his name??? Isn’t that just pure evil?”
• “It’s not even a group name. Why is a company that only has contractual relations with the artist registering a trademark for a name that his parents gave him?? They’ll probably say they’ll return it to him when the contract is over but who can trust that? It’ll hold him back later…It’s making me think maybe that’s the reason Kang Daniel is fighting the company right now too…”
• “Confining his real name, very classy. Lol.”
• “Ridiculous. It’s not even a group name. Who are they to…? Anyway, they’re all crazy for money.”
• “I’ve never seen a company try to take away an artist’s own name lol unbelievable.”
• “Not even the group name, but Yoon Jisung’s real name??? This place is definitely pure evil.”