Big Hit Entertainment has issued an official statement in response to accusations of plagiarism from French photographer Bernard Faucon.

On February 25, Big Hit stated, “Upon checking reports made today, we have conveyed our opinion that the claim of similarities raised by a gallery in September last year is not valid.”

One media outlet had previously reported that BTS was swept up in a copyright infringement battle with Bernard Faucon. According to the report, Bernard Faucon claimed that several photos from the group’s “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life” photo album released in 2016 and some clips from the music video for BTS’s hit track “Blood Sweat & Tears” copied the background and production structure of Faucon’s projects from the 1978 series “Summer Camp,” including the artwork “The Banquet.” The photographer stated that the outfits displayed on the mannequins, background images, and other elements were similar or a close replica. He also claimed that the group’s album title had been inspired by the title of his filming project “The Most Beautiful Day of My Youth,” which took place in 25 countries from 1997 to 2003.

In August and September of 2018, Bernard Faucon issued two statements to Big Hit and demanded an apology and compensation according to the negotiation, but Big Hit refused to accept the claim. In a rebuttal, Big Hit stated that the photos and clips from the album were not similar to Faucon’s works, and that because the points that Faucon had claimed were similar were commonly used in filming, they were not subject to legal protection. However, Faucon sent a handwritten letter in October of 2018 asking the agency to indicate that they had been inspired or that the ideas were a homage to his works.

Bernard Faucon plans to hold a press conference in April to issue a statement regarding BTS.

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