Day: August 13, 2010

The Supreme Court upheld a ruling that long-term contracts between entertainers and their agencies are unfair and therefore invalid.

The top court Friday invalidated a contract putting an entertainer under the control of his agency for as long as a decade, saying the contract restricted freedom.

This verdict is expected to put the brakes on entertainment agencies’ long-established practice of controlling its stars for as long as possible with slave-like contracts.

Woo Sung-hyun, a 20-year-old member of popular boy band U-Kiss, filed a suit in 2008 challenging his contract, calling it “unfair.”
In 2006, Woo signed with the agency, Ssing Entertainment, a 10-year contract that stipulated if his performances were suspended due to health problems or mandatory military service, the inactive period would be added to the term.

Kevin wins lawsuit against company
In the battle against his previous company concerning his exclusive contract, the court ruled in favor of the celebrity, male group U-Kiss’s member Kevin (real name Woo SungHyun).

The court revealed on the 13th that the contract was “unfair, as the contract consisted of a long term for Kevin and one-sided profit for the company (Xing Entertainment)”.

The exclusive contract that Kevin had signed with Xing Entertainment in 2006 stated that he would be under the company for 10 years, and that under circumstances in which he would not be able to complete his celebrity duties because of military service or health, his contract would be lengthened according to the missed time.