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Is IVE imitating EVERGLOW? Starship’s rookies accused of copying signature greeting

Fans are debating if IVE using the same hand gesture for their greeting as EVERGLOW is okay or if it amounts to stealing a trademark gesture

The seven-member K-pop group EVERGLOW debuted in 2019 under Yehua Entertaiment which is home to acts like WJSN (Cosmic Girls), Woodz, and more. The group Everglow has slowly amassed a well-established fanbase for themselves and celebrated their comeback on December 1 with the release of their third mini-album, ‘Return of the Girl’ with the title track, ‘Pirate’.

On the same day, Starship Entertainment, the label that manages big K-pop acts like Monsta X and Cravity, among others, launched their K-pop girl-group, IVE. IVE is also a six-member girl group who made their official debut with their album, ‘Eleven’. From the very offset, the IVE debut was highly-anticipated — it has been several years since Starship Entertaiment launched a girl group. The label has only concentrated on male idols in the recent past despite the company's earlier success with Cosmic Girls, also known as WJSN.

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Did IVE really copy Everglow?

The agencies of both IVE and EVERGLOW are partners as both Starship and Yehua are in charge of managing Cosmic Girls. As IVE appeared for the press conference of their debut, the hexad posed in front of the reporters. The images were soon released online and Forevers (the EVERGLOW fandom) started accusing the rookie group of imitating their sunbaenims (seniors). While posing for their debut press photos, all IVE members raised their right hands towards their eyes with three fingers pointed towards their face.

Online war between fandoms

Each of the six members posed in this way and fans of EVERGLOW who have seen the members of the group do this as their signature hand gesture for the past two years were infuriated.  While EVERGLOW fans accused IVE of trying to steal the older K-pop group's identity by copying the hand gesture, new fans of IVE rushed to defend the rookies. They argued that something so simple does not need to be copyrighted and there is no harm as long as they were not trying to deliberately imitate their seniors in the industry. They pointed out that the common hand gesture resembles the E in IVE.

As competition between K-pop groups intensifies, many idols are trying to show off their unique greeting styles while the sheer number of K-pop girl groups over the last few years proves that the competition to stay trendy is intense. As fans are divided, both EVERGLOW and IVE members were seen greeting each other on stage during their comeback show.

'Who made them do this?'

Some fans of EVERGLOW are fuming — one Forever fumed, saying, "Whaaa? IVE'S HAND GESTURE IS THE SAME AS EVERGLOW'S? No, I'm not mad, I'M FURIOUS, I'M NOT MAD AT THE GROUP BUT AT WHOEVER MADE THEM HAVE THIS HAND GESTURE THAT WAS ALREADY USED, BURN IN HELL." But an IVE fan said, "Hmm now hand gestures become a claim wars?? So they need to copyright those things too?? Hand gesture?? Rather than claiming, better they go streaming pirate or buy their albums or anything to support everglow." One more fan said, "The whole ive hand gesture discourse really getting under my skin bc if it was the other way round everglow would get so much hate lmao i get that the original tweet could’ve been worded better but they’re still quite similar and they have a point."

One user said, "Not starshit giving IVE the same greeting hand gesture as Everglow the girls been out for 1.5 seconds and they already in controversy." One fan of IVE spoke in favor of the group, "Its just a hand greeting gesture, IVE is just doing their greeting that suits their group name. so they use I.V.E with their fingers.. so stop complaining about the hand gesture. CUZ THEYRE IVE, u guys are so dramatic. JUST LOOK AT OUR LEADER DO THE HAND GESTURE,IT SAYS "I.V.E." Another fan said, "To all IVE defender imagine IVE debuted before EVERGLOW and EVERGLOW copy IVE greeting hand gesture y'all would make a protest againt EVERGLOW. If you make mistake don't afraid to confess."