After donating on Dec. 20 to a memorial hall in China, named after a South Korean hero, 10,000 Korean guidebooks, “Descendants of the Sun” actress Song Hye Kyo showed once more her philanthropic side by donating proceeds of a lawsuit she just won.
Yonhapnew reported that the 35-year-old actress delivered on Wednesday 150 million won ($124,000) to the Beautiful Foundation, a non-profit organization. The amount is her compensation from a publicity rights lawsuit she won against J.Estina. The foundation supports aspiring jewelry designers.
No Permission
J.Estina is a jewelry brand that Song Hye Kyo endorsed until January 2016. In April, UAA, the label of the actress, filed a lawsuit against J.Estina for using her images and video clips to make advertisements for the jewelry brand without seeking her permission. The brand asked the actress to sign again with J.Estina as model, but she was no longer interested in endorsing the brand, AllKpop reported.
When UAA filed the lawsuit against J.Estina on behalf of Song Hye Kyo, it said if the court would grant the actress monetary compensation, she would donate the money. In its defense, J.Estina claimed it drew a contract with the “Descendants of the Sun” production team, including using images and video clips from the 16-episode blockbuster drama for use in its advertisements.
Part of Product Placement?
The jewelry brand insisted it did not create any advertising footage and considered its use of “Descendants of the Sun” images as not violating Song Hye Kyo’s rights since she wore J.Estina jewelry throughout the drama as part of its product placement. However, the producer of “Descendants of the Sun” – which was broadcast in South Korea by KBS 2TV and iQiyi in China – said if J.Estina uses images and video clips of Song Hye Kyo outside the drama, the brand must secure permission from her first.
Only part of the 150 million won came from the compensation, some of it came from Song Hye Kyo’s personal money. The lawsuit lasted eight months and was decided in favor of the actress only recently.