Tao of EXO (Photo : Rocio Luna/YouTube)
Chinese courts have reportedly dismissed SM Entertainment’s lawsuit against Tao, a former member of the Korean boy band EXO. The court decided that Tao has the right to his name and portrait and it does not recognize the EXO member’s exclusive contract with SM Entertainment.
However, SM Entertainment said it would appeal the court decision since it is a translation issue, Soompi reported. The record label added that the lawsuit dismissed is only one of any ongoing cases in China which are not related to other lawsuits that SM Entertainment had filed against Tao.
In fighting the popular record label, Tao – or Huang Zitao in real life – claimed he went through different hardships while he was with the agency. Tao disclosed that while playing basketball during a program, he injured his ligaments. He accused SM Entertainment off pressuring him with the schedule even if his injury was serious, IBT reported.
Ke Fan Ting, host of a talk show in China, asked Tao if he would be willing to return to EXO. Tao said that while he was willing to sacrifice for the boy band, he did not want to live a tiring life like what he did in EXO.
In 2015, SM Entertainment filed a contract nullification case against Tao in a court in Beijing. In response to the lawsuit, the former EXO member accused the record label of unfair treatment and human rights exploitation as well as discriminating between the Chinese and Korean members of the band.
Before Tao, two other EXO members had left the boy band – Kris, or Wu Yifan, and Luhan. But the two have settled their contracts with SM Entertainment. Meanwhile, SM Entertainment launched member Lay, or Zhang Yixing, as a solo artist in China through Xiami Music with an Extended Play on Oct. 28, iTech reported.
