For academic's accusers, call to court is a favorable option

BEIJING - The authors of an open letter that accused a senior academician of passing off other people's work as his own have welcomed the suggestion of legal action.

Shi Yuanchun, a retired president of China Agricultural University and highly influential scholar, dismissed claims made against him in a 9,000-word letter published online as "a complete libel".

However, the accusers could not agree with Shi's defense.