How Sweet Lawsuit: NewJeans, ADOR and HYBE Face U.S. Copyright Claim Over Demo

A U.S. copyright case over NewJeans’ 2024 single “How Sweet” has placed the track, ADOR and related parties under legal scrutiny. The How Sweet lawsuit centers on allegations by four composers that the song copied key elements from their demo “One of a Kind,” while ADOR has rejected the claim and said the production team found no plagiarism.¹

The case has been reported as a U.S. copyright infringement lawsuit involving NewJeans and ADOR, with Malay Mail also reporting that HYBE is named in the suit.² The available reports describe a dispute over musical authorship, similarities between two compositions, and a request by the plaintiffs for a share of royalties tied to the commercial success of “How Sweet.”³

How Sweet Lawsuit: Key Facts

The plaintiffs’ central allegation is that “How Sweet” copied parts of “One of a Kind,” a demo they say had been submitted for consideration before the NewJeans track was released. Korea JoongAng Daily reported that four composers, including Audrey Armacost, filed the U.S. action and alleged that “How Sweet” copied key elements from their demo.¹

Maeil Business Newspaper / MK, citing Billboard’s identification of the plaintiffs, named Audrey Armacost, Aidan Rodriguez, Adam Gokcebay and Michael Campanelli. The same report summarized the complaint as pointing to shared musical features, including 4/4 time, the B-flat minor key and similarities in a 31-note melodic sequence across roughly eight measures.³

Edaily reported additional background on the demo’s creation, saying Armacost received an instrumental in January 2024, then worked with three other composers on melody, lyrics and recording before submitting “One of a Kind.”⁴ The available source material does not include the full complaint or a public court docket excerpt beyond the reported summaries.

Plaintiffs Seek Royalties, ADOR Denies Plagiarism

The lawsuit is not only a dispute over similarity but also a claim to compensation. MK reported that the plaintiffs are seeking a share of royalties connected to the song’s commercial success.³ Malay Mail reported that the complaint says the first verse of “How Sweet” mirrors the structure and melodic progression of “One of a Kind” and seeks a share of royalties.²

One complaint excerpt cited by Malay Mail states: “Plaintiffs, as joint authors and co-owners of the composition of How Sweet, are entitled to their pro rata share of the profits.”² That claim reflects the plaintiffs’ legal position as summarized in reporting; it has not been accepted as a finding by the court in the source material provided.

ADOR has denied the allegation. MK quoted an ADOR official as saying, “After checking with BANA, which handled the composition and production of ‘How Sweet,’ their position is that there was no plagiarism.”³ Korea JoongAng Daily also reported ADOR’s statement that “ADOR and the members will respond to the lawsuit in accordance with BANA’s position.”¹

BANA is identified in the available reporting as the production team behind “How Sweet,” and ADOR’s response relies on BANA’s view that the song did not infringe.¹ The reports do not provide a separate public statement from BANA beyond ADOR’s description of its position.

What Is Known About “One of a Kind”

The dispute depends heavily on the relationship between “How Sweet” and “One of a Kind,” but the demo itself has not been broadly available for public comparison in the provided sources. Billboard Brasil reported that, as of its publication, the demo had not been made publicly available for broad comparison.⁵

That limits what can be independently assessed from public reporting. The plaintiffs’ side has alleged shared musical components and a copied melodic sequence, while ADOR’s side has rejected the plagiarism claim after checking with BANA. The available source material does not include a court ruling, a settlement, or any final determination on infringement.

The case also sits within a broader entertainment-business context because reports identify NewJeans, ADOR and, in at least one report, HYBE as parties connected to the lawsuit.² However, the core issue described in the source material remains narrow: whether “How Sweet” unlawfully copied elements from the demo “One of a Kind.”

For now, the How Sweet lawsuit remains a contested copyright claim based on reported similarities between a released NewJeans single and an unpublished demo. The plaintiffs are seeking royalties, while ADOR has denied plagiarism and said it will respond in line with BANA’s position.

작성자 소개

Cloi Lee

Author

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