PLAGIARISM PAID UP

On December 31, controversial writer-turned-filmmaker Guo Jingming apologized to writer Zhuang Yu 15 years after a court ruled that he plagiarized Zhuang’s online novel Quanli Quanwai in his bestselling 2004 book Never

Flowers. On the same day, scriptwriter Yu Zheng apologized for plagiarizing another writer, Qiong Yao, six years earlier.

Earlier in the month, 156 TV and film professionals added their names to a joint statement pledging to boycott Guo and Yu’s works over their apparent lack of remorse. Along with his apology, Guo proposed to compensate Zhuang for the income he earned from Never Flowers. At Zhuang’s suggestion, the two authors agreed to establish an “anti-plagiarizing fund” using the income from both of their works to help future authors protect their rights.