On January 3, Hyomin�announced via Instagram that T-ara has officially departed from MBK Entertainment. Soon after Hyomin's post, MBK Entertainment confirmed�the contracts weren't renewed with the members, however, the agency also stated this does not mean the group has disbanded.�This left hopes for the girl group to continue promoting under different agencies, but fans now believe that might be difficult as MBK Entertainment has applied for the trademark of T-ara.�

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Based on the findings on the website of�Korean Intellectual Property Office - the patent office and intellectual property office of South Korea - MBK Entertainment applied for the trademark of T-ara on December 28, 2017.

If the application is accepted, T-ara will be a trademark of MBK Entertainment, meaning the members will not be able to promote with the group name T-ara or perform T-ara's songs outside of MBK Entertainment.�

The situation is similar to the past issue with�B2ST�and�Cube Entertainment. The former B2ST members ultimately had to promote with the new group name of Highlight�as they were unable to win the trademark for B2ST. The girl group�is expected to see a similar outcome if they lose the trademark for T-ara.�