Production company of 'When The Camellias Bloom' in legal dispute with KBS over drama's copyright ownership

On January 7, various media outlets reported that production company Pan Entertainment of 'When The Camellias Bloom' is currently involved in a legal dispute with KBS, over copyright ownership of the hit drama series. 

A representative from Pan Entertainment stated, "We are requesting our rights to copyright ownership of the drama from KBS. We are in the process of discussing the settlement over the drama's copyright ownership, and so we ask for your understanding in that we cannot reveal any specific details." 

The rep continued, "The company invested a total of 11.1 billion KRW (~ 9.5 million USD) in the production of all 20 episodes of the drama, and provided all labor payments to the staff and cast in full. However, due to the fact that we have not worked out a settlement with KBS regarding the copyright ownership, we have not received any of the production's profits."

According to Korean broadcasting regulations, profits earned through a production must be divided based on the division of a production's copyright ownership between a production company and a broadcasting platform. Earlier, reports claimed that KBS was attempting to claim full copyright ownership rights to 'When The Camellias Bloom', and Pan Entertainment chose to dispute this claim.