Last verified: September 23, 2026
A K-pop group can leave an agency and discover that the group name has its own legal life.
Fans associate the name with the members. Trademark records may place the commercial rights somewhere else.
Leaving an agency does not automatically transfer a registered group-name trademark to the members. The result depends on who owns the mark, what the contracts say and whether the old and new sides agree on a transfer, license or continued use.
BEAST became Highlight before getting the old name back
BEAST left Cube Entertainment in 2016 and later promoted as Highlight.
The members eventually regained rights connected to the BEAST name years later.
The case became one of K-pop's clearest examples of why a contract ending and a group name moving are separate events.
Other groups negotiated different outcomes
INFINITE acquired its trademark from Woollim Entertainment. GOT7 continued using its group identity after leaving JYP Entertainment. G-Dragon also retained rights to his stage name.
Those cases do not create one automatic rule. They show that transfer and continued use can be negotiated.
THE BOYZ shows how complicated the modern version can become
THE BOYZ faced a public dispute over the group-name trademark during its 2024 agency move.
In 2026, nine members moved group activities to the newly created 78 Records after a separate exclusive-contract dispute. Individual schedules remain with their own agencies.
The group name continues while group management and individual management sit in different places.
Trademark is not copyright
A group-name trademark, a song copyright, a master recording and an exclusive management contract are separate rights.
Owning the group name does not mean owning every song. Keeping the name does not automatically transfer old masters. Ending an exclusive contract does not by itself cancel someone else's registered trademark.
K-pop dispute coverage often becomes confusing when those rights are described as one bundle.
The name becomes more valuable as the group grows
A successful group name carries search history, merchandise, concert branding, advertising value and years of fan recognition.
Changing it after seven or ten years is much more expensive than changing a rookie project name.
That is why trademark negotiations can become a major part of an agency exit.
Recent K-pop has more “separate but together” structures
Members can sign individual deals with acting, music or management companies while another label handles the group.
THE BOYZ's 2026 arrangement is a clear current example.
The model gives senior groups more flexibility. It also requires clean agreements over the name, schedules and commercial rights.
Check the rights, not the sentiment
Fans can reasonably feel that a group name belongs to the people who performed under it.
Trademark law looks at registrations and legal agreements.
When a group changes agencies, “Will the members stay together?” and “Can they keep the same name?” are two different questions.
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