3 Count: Tonga Troubles

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1: NewJeans Members and Hybe Face Lawsuit Claiming ‘ETA’ Stole Instrumentals From Earlier Track

First off today, Rachel Scharf at Billboard reports that the South Korean girl group NewJeans, along with their label, is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by All Surface Publishing over the NewJeans song ETA. 

According to the lawsuit, the track uses horns and other elements from a 2005 dance track named Samir’s Theme. Similarities to the song, which was by DJ Debonair Samir, have been noted by others in the media. According to the plaintiffs, they sent a cease and desist letter to the label, but no resolution was reached.

Neither NewJeans nor their label have responded to the lawsuit. The case represents the second time that All Surface Publishing has filed a lawsuit over this song. The first, filed in 2024, was against Pitbull, and that case ended in a settlement. 

2: Danish Indie Label Behind Scatman John Sues Moncho Chavea and Morad for Alleged Copyright Infringement Over ‘Se Fue’

Next up today, Murray Stassen at Music Business Worldwide reports that Iceberg Records, the Danish label best known for Scotsman John, has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Spanish artists Monch Chavea and Morad.

According to the lawsuit, the defendants used elements from the Scatman John song Scatman (ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop) in their single Se Fue. The lawsuit was filed in California federal court and is seeking injunctive relief and unspecified damages.

Once again, this is not the first time the label has filed a lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement of this song. In 2024, the label filed a similar lawsuit against the Black Eyed Peas and their label, Sony Music Entertainment, in the same court.

3: ‘Tonga’ Suspends Popular Pirate Site Domains Following Indian Court Order

Finally today, Ernesto Van der Sar at TorrentFreak writes that the country of Tonga, or rather their domain registrar, has suspended the domains of a variety of popular pirate sites, marking the first such action in the country’s history.

The move follows an order by an Indian court, which called for the suspension of the domains. However, Tonga’s registry, .to, has long resisted such calls and has largely been a safe haven for pirate sites.

However, the Tonga government recently moved their domain operations to a new partner, namely Tucows, so this may mean a change in policy when it comes to allegedly infringing domains.

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