Following the plagiarism issue of aespa's "Black Mamba" teasers, SM Entertainment is once again caught in copyright infringement accusations after Downtown Boys, an American rock band, posted on Twitter about speculations of NCT 127 "stealing" their promotional poster released in 2016.
On August 24, Downtown Boys, an American punk rock band that debuted in 2011, accused NCT 127 and SM Entertainment of copying their poster.
SM Entertainment Teaser Poster for NCT 127 Comeback Allegedly Plagiarized from Downtown Boys Harrisburg Poster in 2016
In particular, the controversy sparked when the US-based punk rock band posted on its official Twitter account saying,
"lol looks like @/NCTsmtown just directly stole a poster of ours from Harrisburg in 2016?"
Along with the post, the band's official Twitter also posted their original poster along with NCT's teaser photo.
Indeed, except for the different colors that were used for the posters, numerous similar elements in both posters are recognizable.
In the K-pop group's poster, they changed the phrase "Downtown Boys" into "Neo Town Boys." but the images, fonts, and even the date of the idols' poster remained the same, just like the former.
Following the tweet, non-K-pop fans expressed their disappointment towards NCT 127.
As the K-pop group received more criticism in the comments, Downtown Boys clarified, "lol guys, it's literally just funny. This ain't about the boys, none of us boys!" — implying that they are not planning to take legal actions against the agency or the group.
In response, supporters of NCT 127 also complained and advised the American rock band, saying, "You shouldn't have tag NCT 127 then," "Sue the company and leave the boys out of here," "Please email SM Entertainment. Plagiarism is not right but please don't blame the group," and many more.
In particular, this is not the first time that SM Entertainment is accused of plagiarizing other artists' works.
In December 2020, 3D visual artist Timo Helgurt conveyed that several people contacted him about the plagiarism of his works when SM released aespa's "Black Mamba" MV.
He then personally said, "Seems like they copied it."
As a response, SM Entertainment stated that they already spoke with the artist discussed their planning process for the rookie girl group.
Meanwhile, SM Entertainment is yet to give its official statement about this allegation.
Also Read: SM Entertainment Once Again Accused of Plagiarism Following Drop of Aespa's 'Black Mamba' Teaser
NCT 127 to Make a Comeback with Third Full-Length Album 'Sticker' in September
On the other hand, the controversial NCT 127 poster can be seen on member Johnny's teaser photo for their upcoming comeback.
In particular, NCT 127 will make a comeback with their third full-length album, "Sticker," on September 17. The album contains a total of 11 songs from various genres, including the title song "Sticker" of the same name, which is expected to receive enthusiastic responses from global music fans.
This album is the first album in about a year and a half since NCT 127's second full-length album was released in March last year — wherein NCT 127 has proved its power after becoming a million-seller.
In addition to this, they also achieved the no. 1 spot on domestic music and album charts, including charting for 10 weeks in the U.S. "Billboard 200."
Moreover, NCT 127 raised expectations for a comeback with unique content featuring an unexpected transformation between engineering students and hackers before the full-fledged album promotion, raising questions about the new appearance of this album.
Meanwhile, NCT 127's third full-length album, "Sticker," will be pre-sold on various online, offline music stores and U.S. music sites, including Amazon, from the 23rd.
Read More: NCT 127 'STICKER' Surpasses 1 Million Pre-Orders in Just One Day, Breaks Their Own Record
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Written by Eunice Dawson
