John Park's side confirms unauthorized registration of 'McDonald's Rap'... music track removal action taken

It has been confirmed that the ″McDonald’s Order Rap″ performed by singers John Park and Kwak Jin-eon was unauthorizedly registered on overseas music platforms under a third party’s name. Recently, a song titled ″McDonald’s″ by an artist named yoyotina was released on global music sites such as YouTube Music and Spotify. The track includes the rap and melody presented by John Park and Kwak Jin-eon on the YouTube channel ″JohniNyaBakiNya,″ with added female vocals, a chorus, and rap reminiscent of John Park’s voice that were not in the original video. There is speculation that generative AI technology was used to imitate John Park’s vocal tone during this process, but the specific production method has not been confirmed. The music information lists Jungle Entertainment Ventures, a Nigeria-based distributor, as the distributor. Spotify credits show yoyotina as the main artist, Laurino Domingos as the composer, lyricist, and studio producer, and Afrobeats Distro as the source of the track. The song appears to have been released on the 2nd of this month. John Park’s agency, Music Farm Entertainment, confirmed the unauthorized registration and stated that they are taking action through the platforms in accordance with copyright law. In an official statement on the 11th, the agency said, ″We have confirmed that the ’McDonald’s Order Rap’ song, written by our artists John Park and Kwak Jin-eon and composed and arranged by John Park, was registered and distributed on overseas music platforms without prior consent.″ They added, ″We are reviewing the circumstances with domestic and international experts and are in discussions with relevant platforms and authorities to delete the illegal distribution and prevent further distribution.″ Music Farm Entertainment stated, ″Music is a precious creation that deserves respect for the creator’s effort and rights,″ and emphasized, ″Commercial use and distribution without the original creator’s consent can infringe on the creator’s rights, so we believe it is essential to verify the exact facts and whether rights have been violated.″ They also noted, ″With recent advances in AI technology and changes in the global music distribution environment, cases of unauthorized use of others’ creations or voices are increasing,″ and added, ″We will consider necessary measures to protect the rights of creators.″ John Park and Kwak Jin-eon first introduced the ″McDonald’s Order Rap″ in the video ″Ordering at McDonald’s with Rap John Park (with Loco)″ released on the YouTube channel ″JohniNyaBakiNya″ on the 23rd of last month. After learning rap from rapper Loco, John Park and Kwak Jin-eon showed themselves ordering at an actual store using rap, which attracted attention. As of the 10th, the video has recorded over 8.87 million views, and the content led to an official advertisement by McDonald’s Korea and the launch of the ″John Park Set.″ In the video released on the 2nd, John Park said, ″I didn’t expect the response to be this good. I feel overwhelmed and very pressured,″ and added, ″I love hip-hop so much and am trying it out, so I hope people see it as cute.″