JYP sues US distributor over Stray Kids song copyright infringement

JYP Entertainment has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in a US court against an American music distributor that allegedly distributed songs by its artist Stray Kids without authorization. The company is taking legal action against copyright infringement that exploits loopholes in self-service distribution systems that allow anyone to easily register music on global streaming platforms.

According to a complaint filed on Nov. 4 (local time) in the US District Court for California, JYP Entertainment is seeking damages from OneSync Media, a US distributor, and its founder Miles Gaines. The suit claims they uploaded Stray Kids member Han's solo track 'back to life' without permission and profited unfairly.

The song in question was first released by JYP Entertainment in May 2026 through Stray Kids' official YouTube channel. According to the complaint, a few days after the YouTube release, the track was registered on Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok and other platforms under the fictitious artist name 'yungzzz' with the original copyright management data removed.

JYP Entertainment traced the distribution path through YouTube metadata. It found that the track was registered on streaming services through other distributors, and ultimately confirmed that Miles Gaines, founder of OneSync Media, owns the 'yungzzz' account.

JYP Entertainment stated in the complaint that the defendants knowingly reproduced the song illegally and violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Under US law, intentionally removing or altering copyright management information such as watermarks from musical works is illegal.

Miles Gaines, the defendant, denied direct involvement. In an interview with Billboard, he said, "The track was submitted to OneSync through a third party, and I was not aware of the upload at the time." He added, "The track has since been removed," and "We are reviewing account activity and submission records and will cooperate through proper procedures."

This case is an example of copyright infringement arising from the growth of so-called DIY (Do It Yourself) independent distribution services that allow anyone to register music on major platforms for a fee. The structure that allows anyone to obtain an International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) and barcode without going through an official distributor and upload music to Apple Music has been exploited for illegal copying.

Damage is spreading faster especially for globally influential artists like Stray Kids. Stray Kids is a group that has topped the Billboard 200, the main US album chart, five consecutive times. Unofficial versions of new songs are repeatedly distributed worldwide within hours of release.

JYP Entertainment previously filed a DMCA subpoena in a US court in September 2026 against Symphonic Distribution, another distributor that allegedly distributed the song without authorization, seeking to identify the illegal distributor.

※ This article is an AI translation of the Korean original published by Korea Credit News; it was checked by automated quality guards and published by the English edition desk.