BTS Jungkook's Seven cleared of plagiarism allegations

BTS member Jungkook's song "Seven" has emerged unscathed from plagiarism allegations that arose a month after its release.

The song faced claims of 'borrowing' the same scale sequence as Fin KL's "Time of Mask," which was composed by Yang Joon Young.

Big Hit Music, the label representing Jungkook, now known as HYBE Labels, issued a press release refuting the allegations. Following an in-depth analysis, "Seven" has been vindicated of any wrongdoing.

The allegation

On August 22, Yang Joon Young, a prominent K-pop producer in South Korea, accused "Seven" of bearing similarities to his composed song, Fin KL's "Time of Mask."

• The accusation gained rapid traction, prompting netizens to compare both songs. However, their response indicated a lack of perceived similarities.

• Given the significant attention the case garnered, professionals were recommended to evaluate the songs due to the intricate scale progressions involved.

• Yang Joon Young himself submitted evidence to Big Hit, urging them to investigate the matter.

  Big Hit denied the allegations and issued a statement:

The claims of copyright infringement against Jungkook's 'Seven' are not true. 'Seven' was created through a collaboration of five overseas composers. It is a creative product entirely unrelated to a song released 24 years ago in South Korea, as was the claim. The label would like to emphasize that the one-sided claims do not correspond with any standards of determining copyright infringement, such as substantial similarities or originality.

- Big Hit

The analysis

The plagiarism claim was debunked following an analysis conducted by Dispatch, a popular online media outlet in Korea, in collaboration with other composers and Yang Joon Young himself. Here's what you need to know:

• Yang Joon Young highlighted a resemblance between the choruses of "Time of Mask" (0:52-1:10) and the bridge of "Seven" (0:55-1:03).
• However, considering the original keys, "Time of Mask" is in E major, while "Seven" is in B minor, indicating different musical keys.
• Several composers also commented that there are only 12 notes available, including sharps, resulting in shared notes among many songs.
• For a plagiarism claim to hold merit, at least two elements, such as melody or chords, must align. In the case of the two songs in question, their distinct nature is evident. The plagiarism accusation lacks basis.

It's also been revealed that Yang Joon Young directed a clarification request to a producer at HYBE. However, it was discovered that the recipient of the notice was an external producer, not associated with HYBE.

HYBE provided a brief comment on the situation:

No information regarding this has been sent to us. The allegations are one-sided, and the song does not meet any criteria that are used for judging plagiarism.
- HYBE
 

Amidst the controversy, Jungkook is also poised to pleasantly surprise fans with a remix of "Seven" featuring Alesso.