 |
| Ju Jingyi Responds After Siba Media Sues Magazine Over Exclusive Rights (Photo: Sohu) |
A magazine is sued by Siba over Kiku Ju Jingyi’s photo rights, as Siba claims she is still under contract. Ju Jingyi fires back: “What are you on about? The contract ended last year!”
Siba Media has officially taken legal action against Life Style Magazine China over an alleged copyright dispute involving actress, singer & ex-SNH48 member Ju Jingyi, according to publicly available court documents.
Based on records published via the Qichacha platform, a Shanghai court has released the first-instance ruling in a copyright ownership and infringement case filed by Siba Group against Life Style Magazine and its publishing partners.
 |
In its lawsuit, Siba Group requested the court to order the immediate withdrawal of all magazines featuring Ju Jingyi’s name and portrait from circulation.
The company also demanded the removal of all related promotional materials and sought compensation of 300,000 yuan, roughly equivalent to USD 42k.
 |
Siba Claims Exclusive Rights Until 2033
Court documents show that Siba Media signed an exclusive artist contract with Ju Jingyi on 16 August 2013, when she was active as a member of SNH48.
The agreement was later reinforced by an addendum signed on 10 September 2018.
Under this arrangement, Siba was designated as Ju Jingyi’s sole exclusive agency, holding exclusive usage rights over her name, image, portrait, and voice.
The exclusive agency period was recorded as running from 16 August 2013 to 15 August 2033.
While the contract was still considered active by Siba, the company alleged that Life Style Magazine worked directly with Ju Jingyi without formal authorisation, producing magazine cover shoots, inner-page photos, and promotional materials that were later sold publicly.
Ju Jingyi Responds: “Contract Ended in June 2024”
 |
Shortly after the court ruling became public, Ju Jingyi issued an official response through her studio, directly addressing the lawsuit involving her former agency.
According to her statement, Ju Jingyi’s contract with Siba Media ended on 15 June 2024.
While the original agreement was scheduled to expire on 18 June, it was terminated earlier following what her studio described as serious contractual issues during their cooperation period.
The statement further claimed that certain contract addendums and signatures cited by Siba were not valid, and that legal actions taken against Ju Jingyi’s collaborators were intended to disrupt her professional activities.
 |
Ju Jingyi’s studio stressed that all collaborations entered into after 15 June 2024 were personally authorised by the artist and are legally valid.
The team also confirmed that legal representatives have been appointed to handle the ongoing contract dispute and pursue further legal steps if necessary.
At present, the dispute remains under judicial review, with both sides holding firm to their respective positions. Industry watchers note that the case could set an important reference point for artist agency rights and post-contract collaborations within China’s entertainment landscape.