Beast Trademark Deal: Highlight Name Kept

The group Highlight (Yoon Doojoon, Yang Yoseop, Lee Gikwang, Son Dongwoon) has reached a smooth mutual agreement with their former agency Cube Entertainment regarding the trademark rights for their past team name 'BEAST', announced their agency Around Us. With this agreement, Highlight will be able to use the name 'BEAST', but they plan to continue their activities under the team name 'Highlight'.

Lee Gikwang appeared on JTBC's variety show 'Knowing Bros' and shared the news of the BEAST trademark agreement, stating, "We were already singing the (BEAST) songs, but we just couldn't use the name. The negotiations went well, and we even received the name." He explained that while they could use either BEAST or Highlight as their performance name, they decided to continue using the name Highlight after discussions with the members, as they had been active as BEAST for 7 years and as Highlight for 9 years.

Highlight debuted as 'BEAST' in 2009, but changed their team name to 'Highlight' in 2017 when they established their own agency. This trademark agreement was reached in April 2024, and the agency stated, "It is a new feeling to be able to show the team name 'BEAST' separately from our performance name. We hope this news becomes a meaningful gift for Highlight, who are celebrating their 15th anniversary, and for our fans."

Along with the news of the trademark agreement, Highlight released a video on their official SNS and YouTube channel featuring both team names, 'BEAST's debut date (2009.10.16) and Highlight's debut date (2017.03.20), along with 'HIGHLIGHT X BEAST'. They also heightened fans' anticipation by showcasing the phrase 'LIGHTS GO ON, AGAIN', which is the title of BEAST's 2010 mini-album and their fan club name, along with the dates '2024.05.10', '2024.05.11', and '2024.05.12'.

Meanwhile, Highlight successfully continued their activities by releasing their fifth mini-album 'Switch On' last month and achieving two music show wins with their title track 'BODY'. The song continues to gain steady popularity on domestic and international music charts and short-form platforms.