ENHYPEN fan event in Manila gets canceled following Belift Lab's warning against 'unauthorized paid event'
ENHAFESTIVAL: DAY 1 or ALWAYS TOGETHER: The Festival, a fan-organized event supposed to be held on Jan. 7, got canceled due to a potential copyright infringement issue.
On Jan. 5, ENHYPEN's agency, Belift Lab, sent an email notice to its registered members advising them not to participate in the event as it is "an unauthorized paid event that sold tickets by using the content of BELIFT LAB without our authorization,” the agency stated.
“If the event host pushes ahead with this event, we will take legal actions for infringement of intellectual property," Belift Lab stressed. It also pointed out that they will take no responsibility for any damage which may result from the event.
BELIFT LAB sent out an email regarding the ENHAFESTIVAL: DAY 1 event in Manila.
"We would like to take this opportunity to highlight that this is an unauthorized event being held without any discussions with our company." pic.twitter.com/gi05ahiqbx— Philippine Concerts (@philconcerts) January 5, 2023
Following this notice, the organizers behind the Enhafestival, which then changed the event name to ALWAYS TOGETHER: The Festival, released their statement regarding the matter.
The organizers said they were contacted by the Belift Lab's legal team on Nov. 3, 2022, following concerns about the potential copyright infringement with the event's name. It demanded to disclose the details of the event including its partners, sources of funds, and promotion and marketing strategy.
[20230105]
— 📌 (@ENHAFESTIVAL) January 5, 2023
ALWAYS TOGETHER: The Festival
EVENT NOTICE pic.twitter.com/2pphsOGDyX
The organizers responded to the request on Nov. 15 and didn't receive a reply until they were invited for a Zoom call on Dec. 15. Although they did not disclose their partners to protect their privacy, they emphasized that the event is non-profit, fan-organized, and will not sell any fansite photos. It also pledged that "all necessary financial documents and reports will be sent to BELIFT LAB.”
However, the agency's legal team strongly advised the event to be canceled to prevent the use of ENHYPEN to promote any event and to avoid the arrangement of similar events in the future.
The organizers responded that they cannot cancel the event since it is at 70% completion at that time, and refunds cannot be done since it was all been used in preparation for the event. They changed the event name instead as compromise.
Belift Lab's legal representatives in the country sent out a notice to the event organizers, issuing a cease and desist order and warning them that they will take legal actions if the event pushes through. They have been given until Jan. 5 to come up with a decision.
The organizers of Enhafestival have been promoting the event on their Facebook page since October 2022. It charged P250 to P300 for entry and P350 to P400 for festival access and a festival kit.
ENHYPEN is a seven-member boy group consisting of members Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki. They debuted in November 2020 under Belift Lab and are set to have a three-day concert in Manila in February.