SM Entertainment Responds To Plagiarism Allegations Involving The “NCT HOME” Exhibition
SM Entertainment unveiled an interactive and exclusive exhibit for fans of NCT earlier this month. The exhibit, NCT HOME, began on February 8 and will be held until March 26, 2023.
Many NCTzens looked forward to further immersing themselves in the unique NCT universe, including viewing exclusive interviews and photos taken for the event.
When the exhibit was officially unveiled, it was quickly met with mixed reactions as some international netizens felt that the interactive posters at the event were “unsettling” and “creepy.”
Kpop companies treat their idols like products rather than people it's really strange
— sungchan's bodyguard TEN WOMB ESCAPE (@Iove444eva) February 8, 2023
The posters allowed fans to control the facial expressions and movement of the artists by touching specific areas of their faces, a feature which some netizens felt objectified the artists.
これが私の精一杯でした😂#NCTHOME #SHOTARO #ショウタロウ pic.twitter.com/ch6niI1twE
— AvocadoBaby (@AvocadoBaby4) February 9, 2023
While the interactive posters were subject to some backlash, the unique Gesture Interactive Video (GIV) technology behind them impressed others.
It was recently reported that the GIV technology used in the NCT HOME exhibit was allegedly plagiarized from an American start-up company, Momenti.
Momenti is a content platform that enables interactive content that you can touch and engage with 5 dimensional media.
— Momenti via LinkedIn
According to reports by JTBC, the patent license and sole seller of the specific GIV technology in Korea is Backslash, which is affiliated with Momenti.
Further reports state that the company hosting NCT HOME, LiveConnect, met with Backslash last May and positively discussed using the multi-dimensional interactive technology during the NCT HOME exhibit. After a follow-up meeting, Backslash claimed the company never reached back out to them, and the collaboration ended.
Eight months later, Backslash was surprised to discover that the technology was being used in the exhibit, despite not reaching an agreement with LiveConnect.
In response, they sent a patent infringement warning letter to LiveConnect, and the exhibition content was adapted to be used without the interactive technology.
SM Entertainment has since released an official statement acknowledging their willingness to quickly resolve the issue at hand:
We gave the exhibition company, LiveConnect, complete authority over the planning and execution of ‘NCT HOME.’ We have received an official document from the legal representative of the company that raised the suspicion [of plagiarism], and we forwarded it to the exhibition planning company with a request for them to fact check and respond [to the allegations]. Currently, the exhibition planning company is directly communicating with the company that raised the suspicion, and the related content has been temporarily suspended from the exhibition and replaced with other contents. Separately, we are conducting arbitration and review of infringement of rights so that the dispute between the two companies can be quickly resolved.
— SM Entertainment
At the time of writing, LiveConnect has yet to release their own statement regarding the matter.
For more on the exhibit, check out the article below:
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