Ex-members of the disbanded group GFRIEND opened up the possibility of promoting as "GFriend". The industry's opinion is that the agency's mistakes paved the way for their activities.

Source Music, a subsidiary of HYBE, recently requested the Korean Intellectual Property Office to apply for a trademark for "G-Friend", but received a rejection notice on July 14th. It is not a decision to dismiss, but the purpose is to amend the opinion on the trademark application.

The applied trademark "G-Friend" is a trademark similar to "GFRIEND", the English name of the group girlfriend (Trademark Act, Article 34, Paragraph 1, No. 6). This is because there is a risk of confusion or consumer deception (Trademark Act, Article 34, Paragraph 1, No. 11).

The products that Source Music applied for this time were 18 (bags and clothing, etc.), which were previously rejected because 3 (soap and non-medical cosmetics, etc.), 11 (sanitary devices for steam generation, etc.), and 14 (precious metals, Jewelries, etc.) was not an application for entertainment-related trademark rights.

Nonetheless, based on the interpretation of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the existing GFRIEND members are permitted to engage in activities not only with the English name "G-Friend," but also with the original Korean name "여자친구" which is currently held by the former agency Source Music.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office, Source Music's trademark application was for "a trademark similar to the English name of 'G-Friend,' a six-member female singer group that is widely recognized by the general public."

In a similar case, T-ara's former agency applied for a trademark application for "T-ara" and was rejected.

Park Soo Jo, a patent attorney at Yonsei University (adjunct professor at Yonsei University), stated, "The Korean Intellectual Property Office appears to have clarified the position that, if the group is disbanded after the name of an existing famous idol group is owned by the agency, the trademark rights of the group name will belong to the group members and not the agency".

GFriend was a six-member girl group debuted by Source Music in January 2015; however, Source Music, which was acquired by HYBE in May of last year, terminated their activities due to the expiration of their exclusive contract. It came as a surprise to the fans. The anger of the fans continued, as did the criticism that the "disbandment" was not fully agreed upon by the agency and the members.

Source[1]

Actor Lee Min Ho recently shared an unforgettable and embarrassing moment from his early career, revealing how he became a “falling star” at his first Baeksang Arts Awards.

On the December 25th episode of You Quiz on the Block (Episode 274), Lee Min Ho made a guest appearance and reflected on his rise to fame.

The actor, known for his iconic role as Goo Jun Pyo in Boys Over Flowers, won the Best New Actor award at the Baeksang Arts Awards, but it wasn’t just his victory that grabbed attention.

Lee Min Ho recalled, "I was attending the Baeksang for the first time, and I was so excited. Since I wasn’t going as Goo Jun Pyo, but as Lee Min Ho, I styled my hair in a perm and was ready to go." However, things took an unexpected turn when he tripped and fell on the red carpet.

He sighed, recalling, "That day, I fell. I fell and created so many memes. Even now, I look back and think, 'How did I walk that quickly on the red carpet?'"

Laughing at his own clumsiness, he admitted, "I was moving at the speed of light, no composure, no focus. Honestly, more than the joy of winning the award, that day was chaotic and so embarrassing for me."

Though his win was a highlight, Lee Min Ho humorously shared that the incident of tripping overshadowed the excitement of his achievement.

It’s safe to say that while the fall became a funny meme, it also became a lesson in humility for the actor, and a moment that fans still remember to this day.

Source: [1]