Former EXO’s Tao Loses His Lawsuit Against SM Entertainment, Court Orders The Rapper To Honor The Contract

EXO's ex-member, Tao, whose real name is Huang Zitao, has lost his case against SM Entertainment. The Supreme Court of South Korea has finally dismissed Tao's appeal. It had announced that his exclusive contract with SM Entertainment is still valid. The South Korean Entertainment company named SM Entertainment brought the court's message to the public on Tuesday, March 20.

Supreme Court's verdict says his contract with SM Entertainment should be fulfilled

According to Political Analysis, Tao's appeal had been dismissed by the Supreme Court on Thursday, March 15 on the status of his exclusive contract. Now it is crystal clear that the exclusive contract between Tao and SM Entertainment is absolutely valid and should be fulfilled according to the terms and conditions. Since the court's decision has gone in favor of Lee Soo-man-created SM Entertainment, the organization has welcomed the court's ruling.

SM Entertainment is considered one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea. One of the unnamed company officials said that the organization would incessantly work to ensure that its affiliates in China and other nations are not harmed. Hence, the company aims to promote and develop the entertainment industry in both South Korea and China.

Tao filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment in mid-2015

Tao founded an official Chinese agency named TAO Studio in June 2015. Then on August 24, he filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment to terminate his contract. He showed the main cause of his exit his poor health and incapability to continue with the entertainment organization. He claimed that the 10-year long contract had unjust terms and the excessive duration compromised his liberty to choose his preferred occupation and right to be involved in some other works. He also at that time had an ankle injury while performing at the Idol Star Athletics Championships.

According to the EXO's ex-member, the exclusive contract was no longer valid and was dismissed in April 2017, again in October 2017, and then in the final appeal. However, in February this year, he won a lawsuit in China against SM Entertainment, and it was clearly stated that the said verdict was linked to his album release infringing rights, and was never related to the validity of his exclusive contract, as reported by Soompi.