NewJeans' "ETA" Is Now the Subject of a US Copyright Lawsuit
NewJeans, ADOR and parent company HYBE are facing a copyright infringement lawsuit in the United States over "ETA," a track from the group's 2023 EP "Get Up." US music publisher All Surface Publishing filed the complaint July 7 in the US District Court for the Central District of California, alleging the song copied elements of "Samir's Theme," a 2005 Baltimore club track by producer DJ Debonair Samir.
The complaint names NewJeans' members, producer 250, lyricist Beenzino, HYBE, ADOR, the label BANA (Beasts And Natives Alike) and Apple, which featured "ETA" in an advertising campaign. All Surface says the two songs share the same syncopated horn melody, a matching 16th-note rhythmic structure and an identical bass drum pattern, and that "Samir's Theme" doesn't appear anywhere in "ETA"'s official songwriting or sampling credits. The publisher says it sent a cease-and-desist letter last month with no resolution before filing suit. It's seeking a permanent injunction, disgorgement of profits, damages, and statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work if the infringement is found willful.
ADOR's response points directly at its former leadership. "The song in question was sourced through BANA, which was selected by then-CEO Min Hee-jin," the label told Dispatch and the Korea Times, adding that it's reviewing internal records to determine whether Min properly conducted a similarity review of the track at the time. "Samir's Theme" was flagged by music critics when "Get Up" first came out in 2023 - Pitchfork wrote at the time that "ETA" pulled its horns from the Baltimore club track, and Paste made a similar observation - but no formal claim followed until now.
This isn't NewJeans' first plagiarism dispute. "Bubble Gum" faced allegations in 2024 that it copied UK band Shakatak's "Easier Said Than Done"; Shakatak signaled legal action but has not followed through. "How Sweet," released the same year, drew a separate infringement suit from a composer claiming the song was "quantitatively and qualitatively similar" to his work. Both "ETA" and "How Sweet" were executive-produced by Min, who won the Producer Award for "Get Up" at the Golden Disc Awards.
The lawsuit lands in the middle of NewJeans' broader legal reshuffling. Hanni, Haerin and Hyein have returned to ADOR following the resolution of their contract dispute; Minji has not yet decided whether to do the same. Danielle's contract was terminated in December, and she's separately facing legal action from ADOR over her role in the group's attempted breakaway.
Neither HYBE nor ADOR has commented further beyond the statement on BANA's role in sourcing the track.
