[Exclusive]Aftermath of debt default crisis? JTBC requested suspension of lawsuit against 'Bulkkot Baseball'

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

It has been revealed that JTBC had requested the suspension of litigation proceedings with 'Bulkkot Baseball,' with whom it is in a copyright dispute.

According to StarNews's verification, JTBC recently filed an application for suspension of litigation proceedings along with a statement of opinion regarding the progress of the case before the court, while proceeding with a lawsuit seeking an injunction against copyright infringement and other claims against PD Jang Si-won and Studio C1 under the jurisdiction of the 61st Civil Division (Collegiate) (D) of the Seoul Central District Court.

Subsequently, after hearing the opinions of PD Jang Si-won and Studio C1, the court has decided to postpone setting the next hearing date for now. Having conducted three hearings since the first argument in February, the court is effectively in a state of suspension ahead of the fourth hearing scheduled for October 13.

This appears not unrelated to JTBC's recent debt default crisis, and while JTBC has suspended the lawsuit for now, it is expected that they also have an intention to resume it.

JTBC filed this lawsuit in March 2025, subsequently applied for a preliminary injunction against copyright infringement with identical content in June 2025, and attempted mediation at the court's recommendation for reconciliation, but after it broke down, the court ultimately ruled in favor of JTBC with a partial acceptance decision in December 2025.

'Choi-gang Yagu' (Strongest Baseball) is a real sports entertainment program where retired professional baseball players form a team to challenge baseball again. Since its first broadcast in June 2022, it has formed a solid fan base and continued broadcasting for over two years. However, it reached a turning point when Studio C1, the outsourced production company responsible for production, withdrew from 'Choi-gang Yagu' after conflicts with JTBC and launched 'Bulkkot Baseball' bringing along existing cast members such as Lee Dae-ho, Park Yong-taek, and Jung Geun-woo.

Afterwards, JTBC moved to reorganize the program with new cast and production staff, returning with a new season in September of last year. As part of the team restructuring, they appointed then KT Wiz coach Lee Jong-beom as the new manager and changed the team name to 'Breakers,' among other changes, but experienced ups and downs in terms of viewership ratings.

The conflict between the two sides emerged from early 2025. JTBC claimed that Studio C1 had requested excessive production costs and did not disclose financial records, while Studio C1 countered that excessive billing of production costs is structurally impossible.

JTBC criminally reported Studio C1 and PD Jang Si-won for violations of the Copyright Act and Trademark Act, as well as breach of trust in business operations, and also filed an application for a preliminary injunction seeking to prohibit the production, sale, and distribution of 'Bulkkot Baseball' on grounds of copyright infringement and unfair competition. In December 2025, the court ruled in favor of JTBC, stating that "the act of producing and transmitting 'Bulkkot Baseball,' which includes content implying it is a subsequent season of 'Choi-gang Yagu,' constitutes an act of unfair competition under Article 2, Paragraph 1 of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act," and issued a decision prohibiting the production of 'Bulkkot Baseball' and the disclosure of related content.

In response, Studio C1 rebutted that some of their claims had not been accepted, and although they attempted to disclose content afterwards, they ultimately deleted the main episode videos. JTBC clearly stated that it would take immediate additional legal action if a new season of 'Bulkkot Baseball' is disclosed. Additionally, they warned, "We will ensure that acts circumventing the law, such as disclosing consecutive episodes after the preliminary injunction decision, are subject to strict legal judgment in the main lawsuit."

According to the court's ruling, all currently disclosed episodes of 'Bulkkot Baseball,' including content corresponding to consecutive episodes of the same season as said video works, and video works and programs featuring a team named 'Bulkkot Fighters' or displaying the name 'Bulkkot Baseball' as the title, are all prohibited from being produced, transmitted, sold, distributed, or disseminated.

The 'Bulkkot Baseball' side, seemingly mindful of the court's preliminary injunction decision, deleted all main episodes uploaded to YouTube, but immediately declared they would proceed with the production of Season 2 and stated, "This preliminary injunction decision is a provisional judgment on this season's live broadcast video works," along with a video titled 'Second Online Photo Exhibition of Live Games' on their official YouTube channel, adding, "We will do 'Bulkkot Baseball' Season 2."

In response to this, JTBC strongly criticized, stating, "The court clearly determined that 'Bulkkot Baseball' is illegal content that used without permission the achievements of 'Choi-gang Yagu,' built through JTBC's investment, and issued a prohibition decision," and "Nevertheless, Studio C1 is trying to obscure the essence of the illegal act with the trick of changing seasons to force it through."

They continued, warning, "If a new season of Bulkkot Baseball is disclosed, we will proceed with immediate legal action," and "Acts attempting to cleverly evade the law, such as disclosing consecutive episodes after the preliminary injunction decision, will be subject to strict legal judgment in the main lawsuit." Along with this, they pointed out, "One must keep in mind that pursuing only profit through all sorts of tricks despite it being clearly established as illegal, and packaging oneself as a legitimate actor by riding on fan sentiment, only aggravates liability for legal violations."

Meanwhile, separately from the legal conflict with Studio C1, JTBC decided to put an end to the season with the broadcast ending on February 2, setting an internal policy to conclude the season with the remaining broadcast portions. JTBC secured exclusive domestic broadcasting rights for the '2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics,' which opens on February 6, and concluded that it would wrap up the season considering scheduling conditions ahead of the broadcasts.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original