[Law Firms Today] Lee & Ko Launches 'Press and New Media Team' Dedicated to Creator-Owned Companies, Including YouTubers and TikTokers

From contract review to media, civil and criminal dispute response
Team includes a former judge from Seoul Central District Court's media division and other legal experts

Lee & Ko, led by Managing Partner Kim Sanggon, has formed a new team dedicated to handling legal issues facing creator-owned companies, including those run by YouTubers, TikTokers and Instagrammers, as it seeks to attract clients.

Lee & Ko said on October 28 that it had launched the Press and New Media Team, which will focus on legal issues facing new media businesses, including multi-channel networks (MCNs) and creator-owned companies.

Lee & Ko logo. Lee & Ko

As the new media industry has grown rapidly around individual media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, the center of gravity in the content market has shifted from broadcasters and talent agencies to creators and MCNs.

Influential creators are setting up companies and expanding into advertising, commerce and their own brands, while MCNs are growing into businesses that maintain contractual relationships with numerous creators, advertisers and platforms at the same time.

As a result, the legal issues facing new media businesses are also changing. Exclusive contracts between MCNs and creators differ structurally from traditional entertainment contracts in areas such as the scope of management, revenue settlement methods and platform integration clauses. Disputes over the recruitment and departure of creators also continue.

Platform actions to suspend accounts or revenue, advertising and labeling regulations, reports concerning affiliated creators, and reputational risks such as the online spread of false information also have a direct impact on businesses. Because disputes can escalate quickly, early responses often determine the outcome.

To address these changes, Lee & Ko has launched the Press and New Media Team, bringing media response and legal services for MCNs and creators together in a single organization. The team will provide consistent support, from preventive advice to review contract frameworks and settlement structures in advance to injunctions, litigation on the merits, criminal defense and media response.

The team's key practice areas include: ▲ designing exclusive contracts for MCNs and creators and responding to disputes, including injunctions to suspend the effect of exclusive contracts and lawsuits seeking damages or contractual penalties; ▲ responding to disputes over contracts with advertisers and platforms and revenue settlements; ▲ protecting content copyrights and handling disputes involving channels and accounts; ▲ seeking correction and rebuttal reports through the Press Arbitration Commission and the courts, and responding to defamation claims; ▲ crisis management and criminal defense related to affiliated creators and executives; and ▲ establishing creator-owned companies and designing their corporate governance structures.

From left: Attorneys Kim Dongha, Jin Gwangcheol, and Jung Kisang of the Press and New Media Team at Lee & Ko. Lee & Ko.

The Press and New Media Team includes attorneys Kim Dongha (25th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), Jin Gwangcheol (30th class) and Jeong Gisang (35th class). Since joining Lee & Ko in 1996, Kim Dongha has handled matters in broadcasting, telecommunications and media, including press arbitration cases and related litigation arising from articles and broadcasts about domestic and international companies and prominent individuals.

Jin Gwangcheol served as a judge for 19 years beginning in 2001, holding posts including Supreme Court judicial research officer, chief judge of the Jeongeup Branch of the Jeonju District Court and judge at the Seoul High Court. Jeong Gisang handled cases at courts of various levels for 15 years, serving as a judge in the media division of the Seoul Central District Court, at the Seoul Administrative Court and at the Suwon High Court.

Day-to-day matters will be handled by attorneys Jeong Heonjae (10th class of the Korean Bar Examination), Ahn Hyenhye (10th class) and Kim Dongwon (11th class), who have handled large-scale claims for contractual penalties arising from artists' breaches of exclusive contracts, as well as damages claims for defamation.

The Press and New Media Team also plans to provide one-stop support by working with specialists across Lee & Ko in areas such as tax, fair trade, information technology (IT) and media regulation, corporate advisory services and legislative consulting. This support will cover designing tax structures for creator-owned companies and responding to tax audits; addressing advertising and fair trade regulations; and keeping clients informed of legislative changes affecting the media, including amendments to the Act on the Development of the Popular Culture and Arts Industry.

From left, attorneys Jung Heonjae, Ahn Hyeonhye, and Kim Dongwon of the Media and New Media Team at Lee & Ko. Lee & Ko

Taking into account the fast-paced nature of the new media industry, which requires quick decisions, the team will establish a system for executives and legal staff at MCNs and creator-owned companies to communicate directly with their attorneys. It aims to respond immediately to matters requiring prompt decisions, such as signing contracts, running advertising campaigns and recruiting creators.

Lee & Ko's Press and New Media Team plans to expand its engagement with the industry by holding relevant seminars for legal staff at MCNs and creator-owned companies and publishing newsletters.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.