TV series, movies, intellectual properties theft or what?
During the heigh of covid-19 pandemic, a friend of mine recommended a hit Chinese tv series The Best Partner (精英律师), based in Beijing, which was released in December 2019.
In the series, actor Jin Dong plays the lead lawyer. After watching the 48 episodes, I was impressed and thought, holy moly, great, China is advancing! No more poor daughters who are forced to support their parents or brothers (why always daughters, not sons???), such as I’ll Find You a Better Home. I could almost see the day that China can produce their own chips, which is just around corner. Then, my dream busted, because, casually I began watching Suits, yes, the old Suits that first aired in 2011.
Suits series were based in New York but filmed much (if not all) of it in Canada. This American tv series was first shown in 2011. The ninth season 10-episodes was released in the summer 2019. It was the final season. Admittedly, I don’t watch tv – except the French, Wimbledon and US Open tennis – so I’m very much out of the loop.
- Vangelis plays: Louis quoted the song from Chariots of Fire in an episode in Season 2.
The feeling of déjà vu began almost instantly. The characters, the story line, the setting, down to the offices, new associates’ cubicles and the leading man’s secretary’s station … As I’m progressing into the second and third episode, it finally hit me – I hate to have to admit … after trying to deny then resist such apparent copying – that one is copying another, almost verbatimly. Ok the verbatim part is an exaggeration… but it’s not far from the truth, indicating just how identical the Chinese tv show mirrored the American’s.
After I causally posted my above finding on my Moments in WeChat, did I know copying of American shows is rampant 三寨版多了去啦! Not only China, the Koreans remade 翻拍 Good Wife… This made me think of The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century was Thomas Friedman ‘s 2005 book, focusing on the leveled playing fields that is born out of globalization.
Essentially, we do share a lot. Otherwise, how could American stories resonate so much there? Doesn’t the usual excuse “国情不同” (as … different national conditions) run hallow? Or you truly believe that ‘win-win’ means you win twice?
A side note: two months ago, I posted a thumb up for The Sinner, season one. A classmate in Beijing left a comment, saying he’ll check it out. After learning that he could down load it from MeiJuTT.com (美剧天堂), I asked if it’s free.
“Yes, it’s free.”
How many such sites exist, out there?!?
Ok, I knew Japan had copied many things in the past. Like the Eiffel Tower stood among garbages in Tokyo, built in 1958 … Hope the copying/stealing will result in something concretely positive for China.
前几个月看完“精英律师” 心中充满无限敬佩: 中国的编剧🐂呀. 尤其是没有了被孝道压迫的可怜女儿 (为什么总是女儿是“摇钱树”? 比如《安家》…) 心中窃喜 照这个速度 国产芯片也就指日可待. 唉 … 俺也就井底之蛙一枚. 因为看的不多. 最常听的一句借口是 “国情不同”. 有什么不同呢？连续剧大该是最好的温度计吧？ 如果真的不同 怎么会有那么多抄来的美剧 获好评如潮？这是不是意识形态上的默认 … 同等价值?
Searching for some truth: 据说有条鄙视链: 看英美剧的瞧不起看日韩剧的, 看日韩剧的瞧不起看大陆剧的
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2021, 沙县小吃 copied Lunch Date: “I see the hope of Chinese film“!- 2020: 扒美剧搬知乎自嘲创作只能靠抄: 中国青年编剧现状调查: … 观众看到会说编剧是抄的,但这是编剧的初衷吗？” … 有的时候其实不是编剧不愿意做, 是客观条件不允许… I’ll Find You a Better Home 安家
- 2019, cnbc 1 in 5 corporations say China has stolen their IP within the last year: CNBC CFO survey
- The Good Doctor 良医 has a baidu page
- 2018, 综艺抄韩国,歌曲抄日本,电视剧抄美国,被抄袭“毁掉”的一代! 韩国都拿我们的端午节去申遗了, 我们抄袭他们几个节目怎么了?” … 张学友的《秋意浓》… 但偏偏是靠翻唱抄袭的网红,却赚的盘满钵满 … 除了电视剧,电影就更多抄袭了,甚至连海报和名字都雷同
我知道🇺🇸百多年前也抄袭过. 日本过去复制了很多东西, 就像1958年在东京建成的埃菲尔铁塔站垃圾中一样. 希望现在的复制/窃取会对中国不久的未来产生积极的影响.
Friends (L) ⇓ Many lines and scenes have been completely ripped off from American shows.
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