New boy band TWS under fire for allegedly plagiarizing watch logo

Logo of handmade watch strap brand TWMStrap, left, and logo of Pledis Entertainment's new boy band TWS [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Pledis Entertainment's new boy band TWS is being accused of allegedly plagiarizing the logo of a watch brand, weeks before its debut.

Handmade watch strap company TWMStrap raised an allegation Tuesday that the band plagiarized its original logo.

"The logo of TWS seems too similar to our logo, which we created and trademarked,” TWMStrap said in a post to its official Instagram account. "The brand is planning to file a complaint for trademark infringement with the assistance of a lawyer.”

“Copying cannot be tolerated. [The logo] is the face of the brand,” it added.

The company also said that it has been receiving blackmail messages from ghost users and plans to add screenshots when it files a complaint.

TWMStrap also left a comment on the band’s official social media channel seeking further discussions about the issue.

Pledis Entertainment is taking a cautious position, saying it is currently “confirming with its logo production company” regarding the allegation, according to news reports.

TWS is Pledis Entertainment’s first boy band after nine years since Seventeen debuted in 2015. The six-member band is set to debut with its first EP “Sparkling Blue” on Jan. 22, becoming the newest K-pop group launched under a HYBE label.

The band recently dropped its prerelease track "Oh Mymy : 7s" on Tuesday.

To find out more about TWS, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]