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On the road with ‘Shinhwa’ trademark since 2003 till 2015/05/29, ShinDependence Day. The day Shinhwa finally won the full rights to their name.

As we all know, Shinhwa debuted in 1998 under SM. After the group’s contract ended in 2003, SM wanted to disband the group & offered solo contracts to only a few members. But Shinhwa refused because they didn’t want to be separated & continue as a group. Therefore they decided to switch to another agency (Good Entertainment).

Since SM couldn’t legally stop Shinhwa as the group already completed their contract, so they refused to allow the members to continue using the name “Shinhwa” and perform their songs as the rights belonged to SM. Leader Eric had loooong negotiations with SM & ended up filing a lawsuit against SM for the rights to use their name “Shinhwa “ and perform their songs produced under SM. 

Shinhwa won the case and got the right to use their name and perform their songs, but had to pay royalties to SM. Since Shinhwa’s new agency back then, Good Ent. was still a small company with no enough funds to pay, so Eric stepped up and paid a HUGE sum of his OWN money to SM for the rights usage. It was really huge that he went broke afterwards. Following that, a contract was signed between SM & Good Ent. allowing the use of the group name ‘Shinhwa’ & songs produced under SM with Good Ent. Shinhwa then resumed their activities as a group under the name “Shinhwa” with their new agency.

Shinhwa members were too innocent & trusted SM that they didn’t ask for further precautionary procedures to protect their right to use the name “Shinhwa” & songs. 

In 2004, around 6 months after Shinhwa moved to Good Ent., “sweet” SM registered the trademark “Shinhwa” under SM company’s name !!. In 2005, after completing registration of the trademark for ‘Shinhwa’, SM entrusted the trademark’s ownership to Open World Entertainment (later known as Jun Media) !!. In 2006, SM completely transferred the ownership of the trademark to Open World Ent.(Jun Media). 

(Take note that SM didn’t even transfer the trademark ownership to Shinhwa’s new agency back then, Good Entertainment !!! -_-) 

In 2006, Good Ent. singed a contract with Open World Ent. (Jun Media) for the rights to use the name “Shinhwa” and perform their songs. The contract lasted until the members went into the military service hiatus in 2008.

(take note here that Open World Ent (Jun Media) didn’t register the trademark after it was handed over to them from SM in 2006. They did that later in 2013).

In 2011, Shinhwa wanted to establish “Shinhwa Company”, so Leader Eric & Minwoo held long & numerous negotiations with Open World Ent (Jun Media) & the members’ individual agencies. Finally, after really tiring meetings, they reached an agreement & signed a contract to allow Shinhwa Company the use of “Shinhwa” trademark, meanwhile open World Ent (Jun Media) manages the group’s overseas activities plus Shinhwa’s official Japan fanclub “The Legend”.  

In 2012, Shinhwa, somehow, found out that Open World Ent (Jun Media) didn’t register the trademark after it was transferred to them from SM in 2006, so Shinhwa Company requested Jun Media to show proof documents that they’re indeed the owner of the trademark “Shinhwa”. 

In early 2013, as Shinhwa Company didn’t get any reply from Jun media, so they filed a lawsuit against Jun Media to cancel the trademark rights usage contract and requested for the return of contractual fees as well as the profits from the 2012 concert and partial earnings from the Japan fanclub. In Feb 2013, Shinhwa Company also filed a “provisional attachment” for the trademark “Shinhwa”. 

Jun Media (already hurried to register the trademark) filed a counter lawsuit saying, “We hold the rights to the trademark so pay up the profits from the 2013 concert as stated in the contract.”

In July 2014, Shinhwa Company partially lost & won the case. They partially lost because they couldn’t cancel the contract with Jun Media as the judges stated that despite it was a belated registration, but it was effective and the trademark “Shinhwa” was and is still a trademark owned by Jun Media. As for the “name usage fees”, Shinhwa had to pay ~318,922 USD to Jun Media, a portion of their earnings from their 2013 concert. Shinhwa Company partially won as Jun Media had to pay Shinhwa ~181,509 USD, a portion of the earnings from the 2012 concert as well as from the running of Shinhwa’s official Japan fanclub.

On 26 July 2014, Shinhwa Company released a statement stating that they intended to appeal the parts of the suit that they lost.

(Take note that in 2012, Open World’s CEO Jang Seokwoo got arrested after sexually harassing trainees. Afterwards, the company changed its name to Jun Media in 2013)

On 29 Aug 2014, Shinhwa Company had officially changed their company name to “ShinCom Entertainment” to prevent problems from growing larger in their on-going lawsuit with Jun Media back then and to prevent the use of the name “Shinhwa” being recognized as a use of the trademark rights. Shinhwa had to delete “Shinhwa” name from 11th album they already released in 2013 as well as their 12th album in 2015. They refrained from using “Shinhwa” name & used only their logo. Shinhwa said “We’ll do our best to protect the name Shinhwa. Please wait and see.”

On 20 April 2015, ShinCom Ent. & Jun Media failed to come to a compromise, so the court made a compulsory arbitration decision. Following that ShinCom Ent. representatives raised their objection.

on 27 May 2015, ShinCom Entertainment (ex Shinhwa Company) and Jun Media participated in another arbitration at the Seoul High Court and have accepted the Court’s arbitration proposal regarding the transfer of the trademark rights. An agreement was finally made over the trademark rights and ShinCom Entertainment have received the trademark rights to ‘Shinhwa’.

On 29 May 2015, Shinhwa Independence Day, the trademark rights to “Shinhwa” was finally handed over to ShinCom Ent. They are able to use the name ‘Shinhwa’ without any restrictions in the future. Shinhwa finally got the full rights and trademarks of their name after 12 years!

Afterwards, ShinCom Ent. changed its name back to “Shinhwa Company” after completing the process of having the name transferred. 

Now, Shinhwa totally OWN their name “SHINHWA”!. After such a thorny road they had to walk through, “SHINHWA” finally belongs to Shinhwa.

Jun Media didn’t play a fair game with Shinhwa (so was SM) as Jun Media kept messing with their contract with Shinhwa, received the greatest benefits from Shinhwa’s activities. Made Shinhwa continuously pay money for them. Made Eric go through a very tough time when he wanted to establish Shinhwa Company. Threatened Shinhwa & the fans. Not to mention their CEO publicly attacked Eric & Andy on Twitter. And SM, who registered the trademark in 2004 so Shinhwa cannot use the name in the future. Sold the trademark to an agency other than Shinhwa’s … backstabbed their former group. 

Can you believe how tiring & loooong this journey was! Frankly, if it was any group other than Shinhwa, I believe they would’ve given up & gone their separate ways. Shinhwa had to walk such a long thorny road that was filled with obstacles, sacrifices, losses, yet they insisted on being together as a group & fighting for their name “Shinhwa”. The kept on producing albums & appearing on shows, goofing around & joking, while having such burden over their shoulders. And the greatest thanks goes to this awesome Leader, Eric, who had to pay HUGE sum of his own money to keep the group together under the same name, studied law to defend Shinhwa, had to go to the court continuously. had to put up with Jun Media sneaky ways, got to manage the long negotiations with Jun Media to establish Shinhwa Company, got to keep the group intact all through those tough times. As the members stated, Eric struggled the most during this long journey until Shinhwa got their name back. He worked in silence, behind the scenes for Shinhwa & the fans. And we never heard him talking about what he did for Shinhwa for even once.

I’m soo proud of this group! I’m really lucky that I’m their fan. They’re incredible! Their long journey is full of life lessons that can even be taught in classes. Despite all the struggles they went through, Shinhwa never gave up and insisted on walking on the thorny path together as a group & even set up their own agency.

Happy Shinhwa Independence Day. We are SHINHWA! Always by your side ♥

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170701 Sand Painting - The Journey from Shinhwa to another milestone in Eric’s Life - by Eric’s Baidubar (China) to commemorate Eric’s & Hyemi’s wedding today.

We wish you both a lifetime of happiness together.  Hope your love for each other will deepen through the years and will become even better friends to share all happiness or challenge life will bring. Prayers and blessings on your wedding and on your marriage. 💞 👰 🤵 💞

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This is what I want. #ricsyung_2gether4ever

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I need this. I need RicSyung 😭😭

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[Trans] Eric & Hyesung Relationship

Extracted from: Shinhwa Baidu Bar

Eng Trans: linnlyynn

Pls repost with credits

Korea Shinhwa leader Mun Jung Hyuk (Eric) and main vocalist Shin Hye Sung couple (RicSyung couple)

In Shinhwa, every member can be couple up with one another, but the most heartwarming, most tangled and most gratifying is the RicSyung couple.

When Shinhwa was in SMent, the members were matched by blood group, type B Eric with type A Hyesung, RicSyung were not officially match. But we cant deny that RicSyung is the most eye-catching couple among all the members. These 2 who are both handsome and pretty in appearance with their inner talents are totally impeccable, thus the orange princesses love this couple very much, even those who are not SHCJ are also obsessed with this couple.

They knew each other when they were studying in USA - LA, from LA they return to Korea, and became SMent artistes, and debut as Shinhwa members. As we all know, the route Shinhwa went thru is totally not easy. Shinhwa tough training during their early days created deep feelings between them and they often stick to one another. As Shinhwa goes step by step to what they are during their peak of all idol groups, the relationship between the 2 became more and more “awkward”. When did they start their ambiguous relationship, the “water and oil”, “cat and mouse” relationship? Only they themselves know. In other words, their relationship is not as simple as just members.

It is not difficult to see the concern of Shinhwa from fans, the concern of Eric towards Hyesung is not just the care and concern between member, it has already gone beyond the love of a good friend, it is a kind of caring love, pampered love, spoiling one with love, it is the way where one would really want to be good to the other, wilfully letting the other shower with love. Maybe some will feel unjust for Eric, “Eric is so good to Hyesung, but Hyesung always says he dislike Eric”, just wanna say that you simply just dont understand enough. Actually Hyesung really trust Eric, of course Eric also feel the same way. All these “water & oil”, “cat & mouse”, “awkward”, are just words of their secret love towards each other and no doubt that they are having fun, enjoying it.

To Eric, Hyesung is special. No matter during any shows or concerts, generally he will be standing at an unnoticed place, always having this habit of looking out for Hyesung shadow, his eyes have been accustomed to finding Hyesung. Thus there is this saying “As long as you follow the direction of where Eric is looking, you bound to find Hyesung.”

To Hyesung, Eric is special. He will scold Eric telling him not to come near him, but the next second he will be very docile and stay by Eric side. He is not used to having skinship with others, but will always be helpless towards Eric frequent embrace but he still accept it. Thus there is this saying that “What others can Eric cant, what others cant Eric can.”

RicSyung has been together for more than 10 years, for the 10 years, they have exprienced what outsiders who couldnt understand. Those who have been following them - RicSyung shippers, hope that they can go on forever.

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When the Oil & Water rules are switched xD these two couldn’t get any cuter ♥

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[Op-Ed] Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo 1: We’re inseparable, “a mutually dependent relationship”

To idols, their fandom is something they cannot be separated from. I’m not talking about the strong affection between them. There must be a fandom for an idol to exist, and the fandom must be strong for an idol to continue on, and that is the change I want to explain. Now, it’s no longer about an idol existing before a fandom is made. The time where an idol group is maintained through the one-sided love from fans is long gone. So too is the time where fans must quietly accept the decision made by an idol group. Just looking at the present alone, and you see fans asking for certain members to leave a group, or fans posting notice about them withdrawing support for certain members. In short, it’s now a time where communication with the fandom is important, and the relationship between an idol and his fandom has moved from a complementary one where both parties are of help to each other, to a mutually dependant one, where one party must accompany the other party. The moment one side cracks, the relationship becomes unstable. Group Shinhwa is a team that has thoroughly showed the change in this relationship. There has been two major turning points. And that is when their contract with SM Entertainment (SM) ended in 2003, and when they set up Shinhwa Company after being discharged from their military duties in 2011.

Shinhwa has lived the life of busy idols, to the extent that you can say they have been continuously moved forward, and they didn’t even have time to look back on themselves. To the extent that Lee Minwoo describes the past as a sports car, and Kim Dongwan describes it as a time of chaos. They have been moving forward nicely but they don’t know what they were doing, just that they worked hard at it. Realistically, the members became Shinhwa because they wanted to be singers, and they have had to develop quickly while promoting passionately with the defined period of time, based on their individual contract with their agency. Back then, the communication between Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo was not something that they themselves were primarily responsible for, instead it was something inevitable based on the environment they were in.

However, after their contract with SM ended in 2003, the moment they chose not to split up but to stick together, that passive relation completely changed into an active one. Shinhwa chose a difficult path, for Shinhwa Changjo who believed in them and wanted them to continue one, and also for themselves. In other words, this was the start of the process of them creating their relationship of their own initiative. 

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the relationship between Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo changed from this point onwards. It is also for the same reason that Shinhwa was able to overcome the 4 years break from 2008 to 2012 when the members went to fulfil their military duties. Shinhwa set out to build their own identity, and the fandom that believed and supported them created an enormous synergy.

In 2011, 1 year before all the members were discharged from military service, Shinhwa set up Shinhwa Company in order to create a clear identity prior to their promotions as a complete group. This was an event that made their solid desire to continue ‘Shinhwa Changjo’ as ‘Shinhwa’ shine. In the process of moving forward, Shinhwa worked hard to get back the rights to their trademark from Open World Entertainment, and this solidified the trust between Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo. They are connected by “the time where Eric wore a suit and met the lawyers.” What does it mean for someone who should be dressed for stage and performing on stage to be wearing a suit and studying the law? An ardent wish to have the name “Shinhwa” returned back into their hands, and the sincerity of wanting to protect Shinhwa Changjo, as Shinhwa.

And that lead to Shinhwa being the first idols to ever hold the trademark rights to their own team. After more than 2 years, the trademark lawsuit came to and end in 2015. And the day itself, May 29, is now called “Shin-dependence Day (Shinhwa + Independence Day). Just like how Korea became independent of Japan, that day marked Shinhwa’s deeply meaningful independence.  This is why the relationship between Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo cannot simply be seen as something made by the passage of time. They went through difficult times together, and every event built up trust. In which there has been countless moments of joys and despair, happiness and sadness, and this eternal emotion further solidifies their mutually dependent relationship.

sr: FNNews Translation by malpabo.tumblr.com Please take out with credits.

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[Op-Ed] Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo 2: “No given time”...a 20th anniversary that is created together

No matter how much trust has been built up between Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo, it will be a lie to say that they have never experienced any crisis. There has been many moments in the 19 years where the value of mutually dependent relationship they have each protected needed to be re-examined. There have been times such crises has been due to themselves and also times where it was due to the environment.

Amongst which, the most dangerous and difficult to accept situation is the former. When Junjin escaped a life-threatening accident, when Andy couldn’t be part of their 4th album’s promotions, when they couldn’t use the name “Shinhwa”, Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo wasn’t greatly shaken by it. In fact, they supported each other and created a strong presence.

However, little things make waves in a calm ocean. Just like how family members are greatly hurt by insignificant things, Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo, having independently created their relationship, have experienced numerous upsets in their 19 years.

Keep reading

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[Op-Ed] Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo 3: Written as “Shinhwa’s big picture”, read as “eternal”

It might feel old-fashioned now but in the 90s, there is a regular question asked to singers in music magazines. And that is the question of “What will you be doing 10 years later?” That was a time where the lifespan of an idol was usually 5 years or less, way shorter than it is now, and so, 10 years is a really long time for them, and something that’s far into the future.

Perhaps that’s why most of the singers’ replies were like how young children draw robots and animals when given the theme of “10 years later”. Because 10 years was a figure unimaginable to children, so they imagine things that will only happen thousands of years later.

It was the same for Shinhwa. In a magazine interview, Shin Hyesung imagined himself to be a trot singer or an owner of a nice cafe 10 years later. Andy said he will probably be living with his parents in the US. Lee Minwoo said he’d be a designer, Junjin said he’d be the CEO of the best agency, and Eric said he’d probably become a professional rapper or producer. Kim Dongwan even answered that he’d be a father, a professional soldier or an engineer.

There are members with similar answers but surprisingly, there is no Shinhwa in their imagination of the world 10 years later. Based on the sense of time experienced as an idol back then, it was a given that “Shinhwa’s 10th debut anniversary” was a completely unimaginable future. But Shinhwa is now the longest-running group that will soon reach its’ 20th anniversary. They have been in the public and with their fans for as much time as newly debuted idols have lived. Shinhwa debuted in their teens, and have spent their 20s and 30s as Shinhwa. Even till now, when they are approaching their 40s, that’s half of their lives.

How was Shinhwa able to keep the team together for such a long time? In a way, the reason why Shinhwa is really amazing, isn’t because they are long-ruunning, but that they work hard not to stay there.

Shinhwa doesn’t just face the winds of physical time. They continuously transform based on the direction and strength of the wind. Even when they feel the pressure from junior idols or from the changes in the fandom, they create something that is their own at the end of intense considerations.

This is also the reason why they don’t like the question “Is your stamina ok, since you’re quite old?” Disregarding how good or bad their stamina is, Shinhwa is a group that knows the style for current age, and have the ability to create a performance that exhibits that style. This is also the reason why it is worth looking forward to what they will show for their 20th anniversary next year.

Shinhwa describes their meeting of each other and their subsequent debut as “destiny”. And be it in the past, in the present, or in the future, they want to be called “Shinhwa”, just like how they always have been. Unlike when they debuted, the members now sees Shinhwa in the faraway future.

In present times, when 20 years has passed, Shinhwa, who met by a stroke of fate, have diligently been moving forward, and are now creating yet another destiny. They are not tied down by the “longest-running idol” title, instead, they push themselves forward so as not to be ashamed by that title. That is how they will remain eternally as Shinhwa, and that is the big picture of Shinhwa.

sr: FNNews Translation by malpabo.tumblr.com Please take out with credits.

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cat n dog, tom n jerry, oil n water, u name it, they do it <3

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There comes the time when Eric & Hyesung are dancing together xD RicSung, a never-ending story :))

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In their 19th anniversary, members were asked “What’s Shinhwa to you?” Shinhwa is a real F A M I L Y ♥

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The evolution of the “crotch dance” in “This Love” according to Shinhwa XDD ShinDorks for life! LOL

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*heart eyes* like a Boss! nah! he’s already a BOSS! Eric looks super gorgeous in the concert! WOW! and I luv all the concert’s outfits! so dope! and this white & orange ♥

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RICJIN xDD 160617 Shinhwa summer live concert MOVE I luv the outfits!

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Leadernim is the cutest cinnamon roll :D ♥