Two K-pop groups and their agencies are going to war…over a lightstick. On September 16, rookie girl group QWER revealed their first official lightstick. It’s a sleek, all-white megaphone with their logo in the speaker. It was meant to hype fans ahead of their first world tour ROCKATION. Instead, it sparked accusations of plagiarism.
Fans of The Boyz were quick to point out similarities to their group’s original lightstick from 2021: a white heart-shaped megaphone with a black handle. (Remember this detail. It’ll be important later). Now the whole thing has spiraled into an ugly fan war that shows no signs of calm down.
The Accusation and the Counterattack
The Boyz’s agency, One Hundred, addressed the “confusion and discomfort” fans were feeling. They demanded QWER’s company change the design, even hinting at legal action after failing to reach a resolution.
QWER’s management wasn’t having it. On September 26, 3Y CORPORATION and Prismfilter Music Group rejected the plagiarism claims. They consulted with legal experts, including IP specialists, who determined there were no issues regarding design or copyright. They also stated they haven’t received any official complaints or warnings from The Boyz’ legal representatives.
Things have gotten bad enough that both the Korea Management Federation and the Korea Entertainment Producers Association have weighed in. The two statements explained that with K-pop, a lightstick represents fandom identity. When two groups have similar designs, it risks sparking fan wars, even eroding the trust between fans, artists, and agencies. Both associations urged for clearer industry guidelines, as well as formal mediation platforms to prevent disputes like this from escalating.
Despite taking a neutral stance, fans and the Korean media have interpreted the associations’ decision to speak out as a subtle show of support for The Boyz.
Who Owns the Design Anyway?
I don’t believe the two lightsticks look similar enough to threaten legal action. QWER’s lightstick is all white with a traditional megaphone design.
In fact, it’s ridiculous that ONE HUNDRED is tripping over this because they changed The Boyz’ lightstick several weeks ago. They announced the new design back on July 25, with the official release on August 8. The new design makes the lightstick look more like a heart than a megaphone. Ironically, when the new design was revealed some fans mentioned it looked similar to BLACKPINK’s lightstick. So who’s copying who?
Does ONE HUNDRED even own the rights to the original design? The original lightstick was released back when the group negotiated the right to keep their name when switching agencies. It’s unclear whether merchandise rights carried over. Is all of this just a bold faced lie to intimidate QWER’s agencies to back down? If so, I hope they don’t take the bait.
What This Means for K-Pop
It’s easy to dismiss all of this as a petty fight about a flashlight shaped like a megaphone. The real conflict is about pride. Lightsticks have become sacred objects among K-pop fans. They’re used to create massive “oceans” of color, and to strengthen the emotional bond between an idol and their fans.
The dispute might not be enough to justify filing a bunch of lawsuits though. It does show how fragile brand identity has become in the genre. Without clearer rules, agencies will keep clashing over symbolic designs, with fans caught in the crossfire.
