According to Ten Asia on December 4, trademark negotiations between THE BOYZ’s new agency One Hundred and their former agency IST Entertainment have fallen apart. Previously, it was reported that discussions regarding the trademark were ongoing after THE BOYZ’s complete transfer to One Hundred.
It was reported that IST initially demanded billions of won for the trademark rights. When One Hundred declined, IST proposed several conditions in exchange for allowing the use of the trademark. Some of these conditions were said to potentially restrict THE BOYZ’s musical activities and were beyond what is typically considered reasonable. One Hundred reportedly found these conditions unacceptable.
The breakdown of negotiations is a loss for all parties involved. Without the members, the trademark “THE BOYZ” holds little value for IST. Meanwhile, THE BOYZ loses the name that embodies their history and legacy as a group.
The members of THE BOYZ have expressed a strong desire to keep their group name, citing the memories they’ve created with their fandom under the name. Reports suggest that some members were seen in tears upon learning of the negotiation breakdown. However, the opposing stances of the two sides ultimately led to this unfortunate outcome.
According to One Hundred, THE BOYZ is preparing to continue their activities under a new name such as “The Boys” or “The New Boyz”.
Meanwhile, THE BOYZ has been active in their musical endeavors. In October, they released their 9th mini-album “TRIGGER”, which sold about 560,000 copies in its first week (according to Hanteo Chart). This marked the group’s third “half-million seller” following “THRILL-ING” and “Sixth Sense”. On December 2, they released the winter special single album “Last Kiss” in celebration of their debut anniversary.
Since their debut in 2017, THE BOYZ has achieved significant milestones, including winning Mnet’s “Road to Kingdom” in 2020 with their exceptional performances and expanding their fanbase through their participation in “Kingdom”. The group continues to be recognized for hit tracks like “THRILL RIDE” and “The Stealer”.
Source: Daum
