Fan event for the Korean boy group ENHYPEN gets canceled after Belift Lab asked fans to be cautious of the unauthorized event
In the midst of the preparation for the South Korean boy group ENHYPEN’s three day concert in the Philippines this coming February, Belift Lab released a statement regarding an unauthorized paid event organized by Filipino Engenes in Manila.
The HYBE sub-label asked the fans to be cautious of this unofficial event that has tractioned much attention from fans which was set to take place in Manila, Philippines, named ‘ENHAFESTIVAL: DAY 1’.
According to NME, the one day event meant to be a photo exhibition of the ENHYPEN members had been using ENHYPEN’s intellectual property without proper recognition from the company, hence forcing Belift to prompt the organizers to cancel the event on January 5.
“This event is an unauthorized paid event that sold tickets by using the content of Belift Lab without our authorization,” the statement read.
“If the event host pushes ahead with this event, we will take legal actions for infringement of intellectual property.”
Belift added that the company will not be liable for any damage that may result from the said event if it will push through and that their priority is “to work to ensure that the rights of our artists are fully protected.”
Meanwhile, the event organizers also released a counter statement in their defense, explaining their discussions with BELIFT's legal representatives and ultimately canceling the event.
"We have reiterated countless times that Enhafestival: Day 1 or now called as Always Together: The Festival is a harmless, fan-organized, non-profit event, created to promote ENHYPEN and for the enjoyment of ENGENEs, something that has been similarly done over the year by many fandoms," the statement was reported by GMA News.
“We ought to send an event cancellation to all our attendees this morning, but unfortunately, we were caught in a blindside by the Weverse Notice to all registered members/subscribers, despite that we were told to keep this matter confidential and have been given until today to announce our decision.”
On the event’s Twitter page, the organizers discussed how their team has been in contact with Belift Lab’s legal team in the past few weeks, talking about the possibility of the event to push through under several conditions.
"We regret to say that this is not the response we expected from BELIFT LAB and we are deeply disappointed that we did not get the same treatment as other similar existing fan projects and those that have already been concluded," they added.
"We sincerely apologize for the confusion and distress this issue has brought to ENGENEs. Thank you for understanding," they said.
Tags: #Kpop, #ENHYPEN, #fanevent