HYBE America Inc., the U.S. arm of the renowned South Korean entertainment company HYBE, is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit from acclaimed contemporary artist Daniel Arsham.

The legal action alleges that Arsham's art was used without his permission in a recent music video starring rapper Quavo, who is linked to HYBE's affiliate label, Quality Control Music Publishing (QCM).

According to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Arsham initiated the lawsuit on March 31, citing HYBE America, QCM, Quavo, and five unidentified individuals as defendants. The artist claims that his sculpture from 2018, named Quartz Eroded 1961 Ferrari GT, was prominently displayed in Quavo's music video without his consent or prior knowledge.

The video in question was shared on Quavo's Instagram and TikTok accounts on December 16, 2024, with the caption "Back To The Basics 2025!!" Arsham's artwork was clearly visible in multiple scenes of the video. It is stated that Quavo reposted images from the video on social media platforms and tagged Arsham in subsequent posts. Arsham argues that the defendants deliberately exploited his artistic reputation for monetary gain.

Arsham made multiple attempts to have the video and related posts removed by contacting the defendants, but received no response. He claims that this unauthorized use resulted in damage to his reputation and financial losses. Arsham further contends that HYBE America played a role, either directly or indirectly, in distributing the infringing material and failed to prevent its release despite being aware of the infringement.

Based on U.S. copyright law and New York Civil Rights Law, Arsham seeks legal redress on the grounds of direct infringement, vicarious infringement, contributory infringement, and violation of his right of publicity. He is requesting monetary compensation and an injunction to stop further use and distribution of the content. Arsham has additionally requested a jury trial.