According to reports on November 19, BTS's label Big Hit Entertainment is currently in the midst of a lawsuit with cosmetics company 'A' over the trademark registration rights to the name "BTS" in the line of cosmetic sales.
Reports say that cosmetics company 'A' currently holds the trademark registration rights to the name "BTS" in cosmetic sales, after filing for the registration in August of 2015. The company uses "BTS" as a shortened version of their brand's campaign, "Back to Sixteen".
While company 'A' registered the trademark rights to the particular name "BTS" a year after the boy group's debut in 2013, one representative from the company explained, "The brand has never had any relation to the group BTS whatsoever. But after BTS became famous, Big Hit Entertainment filed a lawsuit against our side to claim our trademark registration."
Since BTS's debut, Big Hit Entertainment has been filing trademark registrations for the name "BTS" as well as various other versions of the boy group's name in numerous sales and business categories. However, when the label attempted to file for the same registrations in the cosmetics business, they learned that "BTS" was already registered under a different company.
As a result, back in April of this year, Big Hit Entertainment submitted a legal request that company 'A' cancel their rights to the trademark "BTS" in cosmetic sales. Then, earlier this month on November 17, Big Hit also decided to submit a legal request asking the court to overturn company 'A's trademark registration of "BTS", according to reports.
Stay tuned for updates.
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Kind of sucks that 'BTS' can't be used as an acronym anymore just cause it's so heavily tied to the group. I do think it's unfair in this case though, it's not like the cosmetic company is promoting ties to the group, they just got to the trademark first. It's one thing for Big Hit to pay the company and ask for then to give them the trademark but them filing a lawsuit does honestly seem like bullying.
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