Lee Seung-ki wins another lawsuit over 'music royalty settlement' against Hook.. Court orders "Pay 690 million won"

*This content was translated by AI.

Singer and actor Lee Seung-ki has won another lawsuit against his former agency, Hook Entertainment (now Chulokbaem Media), over settlement payments.

According to legal sources on the 5th, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Collegiate Panel No. 20 (Kim Min-cheol (Director) judge) ruled in part in favor of Lee Seung-ki in his lawsuit against Hook Entertainment regarding settlement fees and other claims on the 28th.

The court determined that Hook Entertainment must pay approximately 690 million won out of the roughly 830 million won claimed by Lee Seung-ki.

Previously, Lee Seung-ki filed a lawsuit in February demanding distribution of profits from music and album revenues, alleging that Hook Entertainment continued to earn income even after terminating his exclusive contract in December 2022.

Hook Entertainment argued that settlement obligations only arise if there is a separate agreement, even if certain profits are earned after the expiration of the exclusive contract.

However, the court sided with Lee Seung-ki, ruling that settlement obligations must be fulfilled regardless of whether a separate settlement agreement exists. The court pointed out that "allowing the party who breached the contract to gain more profit than those who honored it would severely violate the principles of good faith and equity."

However, not all of Lee Seung-ki's demands regarding the settlement ratio were accepted. Lee's side requested 70% of revenues generated up to August 2024, when the contract expired, and 50% of subsequent revenues. Considering industry practices where settlement ratios decrease after contract termination compared to during the contract period, the court recognized 60% and 40%, respectively.

Lee Seung-ki sent a formal notice in November 2022, stating he had received no royalty payments from Hook Entertainment since his debut. Subsequently, Hook Entertainment paid approximately 5.4 billion won based on its own calculation and filed a lawsuit seeking confirmation of non-existence of debt, to which Lee filed a counterclaim.

In April last year, the court ruled that Hook Entertainment must additionally pay Lee Seung-ki approximately 580 million won in advertising commissions. The ruling became final as neither party appealed.

Meanwhile, Lee Seung-ki is also in conflict with Big Planet Made Entertainment, his next agency after Hook Entertainment, over settlement issues.

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*This content was translated by AI.