Chapter 1075 - Untitled
1075 Untitled
“Plagiarism is stealing or altering another author’s thoughts and ideas, taking it as their own in a similar context. The act can either be a partial or complete alteration of the original content.” Lawyer Bai walked over. “Firstly, the defendant’s lawyer deliberately distorted the main gist of the case, turning plagiarism into a coincidence, a clash of ideas. Under normal circumstances, plagiarism is not judged based on the subject matter since there are many different types of books of the same subject. For instance, fantasy books or those about CEO romance, promotion, esports, or entertainment industry. There might even be a clash in the description. These are all normal. That sets this apart is the unique storyline created by the author under the large overarching theme. The defendant used the author’s unique storyline as a whole or changed it slightly to make it seem like her own. That is not a coincidence, it is plagiarism,” Lawyer Bai spoke slowly, his words loud and clear for everyone to hear. “The most important part of a novel are the characters. Let me simplify this: For books about reincarnation, they are often about high school students. But the plaintiff’s female lead has special features unique to her novel. The character has black ear studs, travels around on her skateboard, and often climbs walls. She would also get beaten up for being known as gay. She has a bunch of tyrant CEO novels on her shelf and is often teased by the male lead. That is the setup for the plaintiff’s novel but how can it be the same over at the defendant’s side as well? The similarity detected in the other major storylines are written in the evidence, they are all with you, your Honor.” Lawyer Bai paused slightly before continuing, “As for those that claim that plagiarism doesn’t matter, that is your own opinion since not everyone has morals. Those that mean no harm can be forgiven but for those that remain unrepentant after committing their crimes, acting pitiful won’t bring you anywhere. We look at evidence and the truth in court, not acting skills.”
Sometimes, a mesmerizing voice helped to capture one’s attention. All lawyers would strive to deliver their intentions clearly.
As there were some who weren’t convinced and were prepared to argue, the judge looked through the different outlines.
Bo Jiu stood beside the group that complained the loudest and turned to remind Lawyer Bai, “You forgot the most important part. ”
Lawyer Bai followed her line of sight, landing on the victim’s mother, who was standing tall and firm. He then continued, “According to our country’s law, compensation is expected of the plagiarist. Perhaps none of you have heard about this but at the start of the trial, the plaintiff’s guardian had mentioned the payment amount to be one dollar. That wasn’t even enough for a beggar. For the past 36 days, she has been travelling to and from her town, sparing no efforts. From the very start, my plaintiff has been after justice. But of course, even if my side wins the trial, you would still enjoy both books and find no issue with how the books were created. But do keep in mind, you will always be an accomplice.”
Director Huang stilled before he turned towards Bo Jiu. “I finally understand the power of words.”
“It isn’t cheap.” Bo Jiu glanced down at her watch. Lawyer Bai charged by the second but he was worth it.
Lawyer Bai returned to his seat once he was done.
The three judges glanced at each other. Due to the uniqueness of the case, they needed more time. The judges called for a 10 minutes break while they discussed the result…