Seven Seasons Entertainment, the agency charged with managing K-pop boy band Block B, is contemplating legal action against Korean cosmetic brand Beyond for allegedly using member Zico's name to sell product.
On Wednesday, Korean media outlets reported that Seven Seasons plans to move head with a lawsuit against Beyond for the company's "Zico tint" lip color. The name, originally "aqua tinted rouge," was changed on Beyond's website about a year ago after it appeared that the color was similar to what rapper Zico wore on his lips.
Seven Seasons said that Beyond violated Zico's publicity reports, as many consumers bought the product following the name change, thinking that it was promoted by Zico.
Local makeup artists involved in the K-pop industry denied that Zico used Beyond's product, according to the K-Pop Herald.
Beyond, is a subsidiary brand of LG Household Health Care. The company launched its aqua tinted rouge line in 2014.
Seven Seasons Entertainment's impending lawsuit comes at a time when numerous K-pop idols are taking action against brands using names of idols to promote products. In a similar case, miss A's Suzy previously filed a lawsuit against a cosmetic brand using her name to promote a product.
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Tamar Herman is a multi-media journalist and the co-founder of KultScene. She is a freelance writer and copy editor, and has written for MTV Iggy, Noisey, and Paste Magazine.
