FIFTY FIFTY’s “Cupid” Producer Gives ATTRAKT “Final Warning” In Fiery Statement
The Givers responded to allegations levied against the company by ATTRAKT in a new statement.
On July 5, “Cupid” producer Ahn Sung Il’s label, The Givers, released a statement in which it warned news outlets and ATTRAKT against spreading what they alleged was “misinformation.”
This statement is to inform reporters and those associated with ATTRAKT in addition to our statement released on July 3. We ask that you stop confusing the public with maliciously edited information and allegations.
Currently, ATTRAKT is distracting the public eyes from the root of the issue. We ask that those that read this make a wise decision.
— The Givers
In its statement, The Givers alleged that ATTRAKT had given him $9,000 to purchase neighboring rights to “Cupid,” not the song’s copyrights. Previously, ATTRAKT alleged that it had sought to pay for the copyrights of the song, only to learn that Ahn Sung Il had used the money to purchase it for himself.
It is unfortunate that a self-proclaimed producer with 30 years of experience isn’t able to discern between copyrights and neighboring rights. Neighboring rights refer to the right of an individual who has made a certain contribution to enhance the value of a copyrighted work and is usually given to the producer. In other words, it is the right of the record producer to pay and hold the $9,000 that ATTAKT claims.
Copyrights are given to the person who created the production. For music, it is given to writers, producers, and music arrangers. In regards to this, The Givers, after deliberating with the writers, lawfully purchased the copyrights (to “Cupid”).
— The Givers
The Givers continued stating that the copyrights to “Cupid” are rightfully owed to them and Ahn Sung Il.
All of this occurred before “Cupid” was released and was done through our publisher to expedite the process of re-writing and producing, mixing various versions, and collaborating with other artists during the group’s global promotions. Rightfully, the rights were obtained through the company’s efforts, and besides the rights owned by Ahn Sung Il, who participated in the production, overseas rights are owned by the publisher, The Givers.
Because the contract and other documents contain the parties’ private information, we can not reveal it, but we have the invoice showing that the song’s copyright was purchased with other funds and not with the money ATTRAKT is asserting. Also, on ATTRAKT’s invoice is written Music Production Fee, while our invoice states it is for the purchase of the song’s Music Intellectual Property Rights Fee. These are two different things that we will reveal in court.
With this said, it is defamation to say that ATTRAKT had purchased the copyrights to the song. Using that logic, we would like to ask if ATTRAKT owns the copyrights of all previous works that they had paid for. It is true that when ATTRAKT did not have enough money to buy the song, we volunteered to purchase the song in their stead and were compensated for it later. We are disappointed and express regret at the manipulation of this fact.
— The Givers
The Givers then asserts that they would reveal their innocence in court.
Due to the confidential agreement between The Giver Publishing and the producers, we can not reveal the contents of the agreement, but we will reveal the truth in court.
Currently, ATTRAKT is deliberately hiding facts and are spreading misinformation using only documents that support their claims. With this said the reason we have not responded was because we did not want this disagreement to spill outside the bounds of law. Also, we do not want to influence ATTRAKT’s legal dispute with the artists.
— The Givers
The Givers then ended their statement with a “Final warning” to ATTRAKT and reporters.
We ask that you stop the continued attacks using misinformation. This statement is The Givers’ final warning. After this, we will release a statement after proving the truth in accordance with the legal process.
— The Givers
Meanwhile, the first trial in FIFTY FIFTY’s legal dispute against ATTRAKT was held today. You can read more about it in the link below.
