Song Hye Kyo, 2PM, Wonder Girls And More Lose Lawsuit Against Plastic Surgery Clinic

35 celebrities lost their lawsuit against a plastic surgery clinic which illegally used their names and photographs for commercial purposes.

Jan 10, 2014 12:46 PM GMT

TAGㆍsong hye kyoㆍ Kim Nam Gilㆍ Wonder Girlsㆍ 2PMㆍ Girls Generationㆍ TVXQㆍ Super Junior

Song Hye Kyo, 2PM, Kim Nam Gil

A year ago, 35 celebrities filed a lawsuit against a plastic surgery clinic for illegally using their names and images on their commercial ads, violating those persons' right of publicity.

However, the Seoul Central District Court stated on January 8 that the said complainants lost the case due to insufficient evidence. "Last year in January, Jang Dong Gun, Song Hye Kyo, and Kim Nam Gil, among others, filed a damage lawsuit against a plastic surgery clinic run by a certain Mr. Cho in Gangnam, Seoul. The celebrities, however, lost the case."

It was also mentioned that idol groups Wonder Girls, 2PM, TVXQ, Super Junior, and Girls' Generation also filed a claim for damages for the unpermitted use of their names and photos for the clinic's commercial purposes.

The court stated, "Rights of Publicity are needed for the growth of the entertainment and advertisement industry... However, are there are no legal regulations, it is hard to acknowledge [the boundaries] of rights of publicity. There needs to be a specific legal evidence for us to acknowledge it, such as a validated and protected rights of publicity."

"Even if their rights of publicity were to be acknowledged, considering the photos posted up for the plastic surgery clinic's promotional and separate categories, it is difficult to prove that they earned profit from it... We can't see it as a violation of the plaintiffs' right of publicity."

Tagㆍsong hye kyoㆍ Kim Nam Gilㆍ Wonder Girlsㆍ 2PMㆍ Girls Generationㆍ TVXQㆍ Super Junior