Hybe Tries To Trademark BTS V's 'Borahae'; KIPO Denies Request

The request of BTS' talent agency Hybe to acquire trademark rights to the phrase "borahae" has been rejected by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), according to a report.

Over two years ago, South Korea-based nail brand Lalalees tried to obtain trademark rights on the phrase. This sparked outrage among BTS' fans, known as A.R.M.Y., who started the trend "#ProtectBorahae" on social media and insisted that the phrase was a "universal symbol of love and trust" between the K-pop band and their fans, according to Sportskeeda.

A year later, BTS' agency took action and requested to have "borahae" trademarked to protect the rights of the company and its artists.

But the request has been denied by KIPO, which stated that the application could not be accepted as it went against "the principles of good faith," Soompi reported.

The office said that the term was invented by BTS member V, born Kim Taehyung, at a fan meeting on Nov. 13, 2016, thus the artist is entitled to the trademark, not Hybe, formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment.

KIPO pointed out that the agency is not the individual but rather a company that "has a partnership and employer-employee relationship with Kim Tae Hyung."

"The applicant (HYBE) is recognized to have applied for trademark rights even though they know that it is a trademark used by V," KIPO said, according to Soompi.

According to South Korean publication Sakshi Post, the principle of good faith, known as the principle of Bona fides, refers to the principle that in ethical norms, everyone should act sincerely so as not to waste each other's trust as a member of social common life. It is a general principle of law that regulates and governs not only contract law but also all legal relations.

During BTS' fan meeting in 2016, V introduced the term "borahae" or "I purple you," which means: "I'll love you till the end of days."

It is a combination of the word "bora," the Korean word for purple/violet, the last color of the rainbow, and "saranghae," which translates to "I love you" in Korean.

"Do you know what purple means? Purple is the last color of the rainbow. Purple means I will trust and love you for a long time. I just made it up. I wish I can see you for a long time," V said during the fan meet, according to Sportskeeda.

He continued, "Just like the meaning of purple... we'll always trust you and go up the stairs with you. You don't need to help us all the time. You can now hold our hands and follow us now. We'll go up really high. I'll make it nice. Thank you so much for allowing us to have a fan meeting, in this kind of big place, A.R.M.Y. I love you!"