Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Shinsegae, a retail giant in South Korea, abandoned its claim to trademark rights of "BTS" after Big Hit Entertainment warned of legal action against companies using the brand of K-pop band BTS.

"We renounce all trademark rights related to BTS. Shinsegae supports the activity of BTS, which leads Hallyu (Korean cultural wave)," the retail group said in a statement on Tuesday.

Big Hit tried to register BTS as a trademark in 2013, just before the seven-member band made its debut. The agency also tried to win the right for the same trademark in 2015 but its trademark claims were rejected because Shinhan Corporation registered its trademark for BTS to use it as an abbreviation for "Back To School."

Shinsegae tried to use BTS as an abbreviation for its luxury apparel brand, Boon The Shop, but its claim was rejected. To use BTS as its trademark, the retail group bought Shinhan's trademark in 2018 for use in various fields including clothing.

Big Hit filed a complaint to South Korea's state patent office in 2018, claiming that it is absurd for Shinsegae to use BTS as its trademark when it is globally well known as a K-pop band. The patent agency rejected Shinsegae's trademark application, but the retail group appealed in February 2019, insisting that BTS is just an English initial.

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