Trot star Song Ga-in has won her copyright lawsuit over the song “Danjangeui Miari Gogae.” The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California dismissed the claim on August 27 (local time), ruling that it had no jurisdiction over the case.
According to a Sports Chosun report on October 22, Song Ga-in’s agency J.Star released an official statement on October 21, announcing the final dismissal. The dispute began when a man claiming to be the son of the late composer Lee Jae-ho argued that Song Ga-in’s television performances of the song infringed his copyright and repeatedly demanded settlement money.
The agency said it judged the claims to have “no evidence to support them” and responded firmly. The claimant later filed suit in a U.S. court using broadcast videos as the basis and served legal documents. The California court threw out the case entirely for lack of jurisdiction.
The court also took note of the claimant’s conduct, pointing out that he abused AI to submit poorly prepared documents and repeatedly pursued an unreasonable lawsuit, explicitly warning him that sanctions were possible.
The man reportedly claimed he inherited the copyright from his mother and argued that Korean broadcasts viewable in the United States amounted to infringement. He also filed similar suits against veteran singers Kim Yeon-ja and Jang Yoon-jung as well as several broadcasters. With the dismissal finalized, the agency says the matter is now closed.
