SM Entertainment said Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit against former EXO member Tao and the Chinese company that produced his album.

The lawsuit, which seeks damages for breach of contract and copyright violation, was officially registered in the Beijing court on Friday, the agency said in a statement.

As the lawful management agency of Tao, SM Entertainment filed a lawsuit against him and the company that promoted his “illegal celebrity activities” in China, the label said.

Earlier, SM Entertainment has filed similar lawsuits against former EXO members Kris and Luhan, in February and November 2014, respectively.

Tao (Yonhap)

In the statement, the label asserted that Tao in April contacted a different company to engage in entertainment-related activities and produce an album, unilaterally leaving EXO and the company. In July, he released an EP, continuing what SM Entertainment called “illegal celebrity activities.”

“Tao has used EXO’s fame to appear in advertisements and broadcasts,” the label said. “And on Aug. 24, he filed a lawsuit against us in a Seoul court.”

The label said that Tao’s contract remains valid until a court officially recognizes his termination and until then, he should not pursue any further entertainment-related activities.
SM Entertainment also indicated that Kris, Luhan and Tao’s unilateral termination of contract negatively affected the boy band, the company and the bilateral cultural relations between China and Korea.

EXO, once a 12-member band, is currently working as a nine-member group without Chinese members Kris, Luhan and Tao. Lay is the only Chinese member who remains in the group, demonstrating the label’s problems with its strategy of incorporating Chinese members into its flagship group to appeal to Chinese fans.

Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)