Creativity or copying

How should a filmmaker acknowledge his source material? Many may err on the side of imprudence and a few on the side of caution. But with copyright material, it can be a process of trial and error as everyone involved follows the learning curve of respect.

On June 28, a Beijing district court issued its verdict on the infringement case that involves a best-selling novel and its film adaptation. Last year, Zhang Muye, whose pen name is Tianxia Bachang, accused makers of Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe of several violations, among which were the filmmakers' failure to give him credit and their butchering of his original novel.

The movie opens with a line that says it is adapted from the first volume of The Adventures of Three Tomb Raiders, but it does not mention Zhang's name. The court found this credit insufficient and has ordered the producers to apologize to Zhang and add his name to the film as the original author. As for the other claim, for which Zhang was seeking 1 million yuan ($151,500) in compensation, the court ruled in favor of the defendants, saying the filmmakers have the right to make certain changes to the original literary source.