Taiwan novelist sues mainland scriptwriter for plagiarism

Popular Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao pressed charges on Tuesday against mainland scriptwriter Yu Zheng and five television companies over alleged plagiarization of her works.

According to the No. 3 Intermediate People's Court of Beijing, Chiung Yao claimed that the plot of TV series "The Palace: The Lost Daughter" has been almost completely copied without permission from her novel "Mei Hua Lao" (Plum Blossom Scar).

"The Palace: The Lost Daughter" is aired on Hunan Satellite TV on the mainland, while Mei Hua Lao was adapted into a TV series screened in 1993. Chiung Yao also demanded compensation of 20 million yuan ($3.2 million).

In her complaint, Chiung Yao said the defendants had gained huge profits from plagiarizing her works. Meanwhile, she has been writing a new script based on the story of Mei Hua Lao, but the plagiarism has become an obstacle for the shooting of her new TV series and caused her emotional damage.

According to her indictment, Chiung Yao asked Yu and the five television companies to stop broadcasting "The Palace: The Lost Daughter" on both TV and the Internet, or releasing any copies of the TV series. And she asked Yu to make a public apology. The defendant has also been asked to cover all the plaintiff's legal fees.