An South Korean court has established that a social media user must pay $ 360 under the publication of derogatory comments on the members of the Virtual Group K-Pop Plave, which marks one of the first legal cases to establish protections for defamation for virtual animators.
The Goyang branch of the Uijeongbubbu district court ordered the defendant to pay $ 72 to each of the five artists behind the digital avatars of Plave following a civil case presented by the group agency, Vlast. The sentence represents a significant legal preceding for virtual entertainment in the expanding digital panorama of South Korea.
Plave, who debut In March 2023, it is made up of five virtual members, Yejun, Noah, Bamge, Eunho and Hamin, who are brought to life through the motion capture technology performed by real but anonymous people. The group has achieved considerable success, accumulating over one million YouTube subscribers and becoming the first group of virtual idol to win in the main Korean musical performances with their track “Way 4 Luv”.
The controversy began in July 2024 when the accused published a series of offensive comments on social media that aimed at the virtual group. The posts included vulgarity and states that the artists behind the avatars “could be ugly in real life” and emanated a “typical Korean atmosphere”. The artists said that these observations caused them emotional anguish and intended through their agency.
THE defendant He argued that since the plate is made up of imaginary characters with personal identities not disclosed, it is not possible to establish any defamation. However, the Court rejected this defense, declaring that the avatars serve as more than digital images in the modern was metvers.
The artists had originally asked $ 4,650 each through Vlast, for damage from $ 23,250. The court has significantly assigned less, limiting compensation to $ 72 per member after considering the language used and the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Vlast appealed to the sentence, not contesting the recognition of defamation by the Court but supporting higher damage. The agency claims that this case establishes crucial precedents to protect artists who perform behind virtual characters.
Legal experts describe the decision as revolutionary To recognize that attacks on avatars can damage the reputation of people behind them. The sentence faces the growing concerns about the rights of digital identity since virtual animators obtain traditional acceptance in the sector of entertainment of South Korea.
The case highlights the evolving questions about identity, personality and damage in virtual spaces while technology shows off the lines between digital and physical performance. For supporters of virtual idols, the sentence validates the topics that these avatars can reduce pressure on human interpretations while maintaining authentic connections of fans through real people behind technology.
