ADOR Reviews NewJeans ‘How Sweet’ Process After Plagiarism Allegations

ADOR has issued a new response to plagiarism allegations surrounding NewJeans’ 2024 single “How Sweet,” saying it is reviewing internal materials connected to how the track was sourced and checked before release.

The statement, reported by Korean outlets on July 10, places fresh attention on the song’s production path at a sensitive moment for NewJeans, ADOR, and HYBE. According to the reports, ADOR said the disputed music was obtained through BANA, the company also known as Beasts And Natives Alike, which had been selected during Min Hee Jin’s time as ADOR CEO.

ADOR also said it is looking into whether similarity reviews were properly carried out at that stage. The wording does not amount to an admission that the song copied another work. Instead, it signals that the company is examining the internal process behind a high-profile release that has now become the subject of legal and public scrutiny.

What The Allegation Centers On

The dispute concerns “How Sweet,” a Miami bass-influenced NewJeans single released in May 2024. The song became one of the group’s most visible releases of that year and reached No. 18 on Billboard’s Global 200 chart, giving the allegation a larger commercial and symbolic weight than a routine production disagreement.

Reports citing Dispatch say four American producers and singer-songwriters filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against several parties, including HYBE, ADOR, NewJeans, BANA, and producer 250. The central claim is that the plaintiffs contributed a topline during the production process and later found allegedly similar elements in the final released version of “How Sweet.”

According to the reported sequence, BANA sent an instrumental track through U.S. publisher Pulse Music and requested topline work. Audrey Amacost and three other creators reportedly worked on that topline. Their work was allegedly rejected during production, but the plaintiffs claim parts of it appeared in the released track months later.

That kind of allegation can be difficult for the public to evaluate without hearing the disputed demo, seeing the court filings, and comparing specific musical elements. In pop music, shared genre references, rhythmic patterns, and production styles can overlap without proving infringement. At the same time, a rejected topline later resembling a released melody can raise serious questions about access, documentation, and decision-making inside the song-selection process.

ADOR’s Position And The Earlier Response

ADOR’s latest comment appears to distinguish between the current management’s review and decisions made when the track was originally acquired. By saying the song came through BANA during Min Hee Jin’s leadership period, the agency is drawing attention to who handled the earlier sourcing and similarity-check process.

The company has not said the allegation is valid. Earlier, when the lawsuit first became known, ADOR said it had checked with BANA, which handled the composition and production of “How Sweet,” and was told there had been no plagiarism. ADOR said at that time that the label and members would respond to the suit based on BANA’s position.

The updated statement therefore lands in a more cautious place: ADOR is still not conceding infringement, but it is acknowledging that internal review is underway. For fans, that distinction matters. It means the next meaningful development is likely to come from legal filings, additional statements from the creators involved, or a clearer explanation of what similarity checks were performed before the song’s release.

Why This Matters Beyond One Song

The case also arrives while NewJeans remains one of K-pop’s most closely watched acts, not only because of their global chart performance but because of the wider conflict that has surrounded ADOR, HYBE, and Min Hee Jin. Any dispute involving the group’s catalog now tends to be read through that larger corporate context, even when the core issue is a music copyright claim.

For the industry, the allegation highlights the importance of paper trails in international song production. K-pop releases often move through publishers, production camps, independent topliners, labels, and outside producers before a final version is chosen. When a demo is rejected, teams still need clear records showing what was received, what was used, who had access, and how similarity checks were handled.

For NewJeans, the immediate question is reputational as much as legal. “How Sweet” remains an important part of the group’s discography, and the public discussion could affect how listeners revisit the song while the case develops. Still, allegations are not findings, and the legal process will need to separate broad stylistic resemblance from protectable musical copying.

Until more evidence becomes public, the most accurate reading is that ADOR is reviewing the production history while maintaining that the claim has not been proven. The coming weeks may show whether the dispute stays at the level of competing statements or moves into a more detailed courtroom argument over melody, access, and authorship.