You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 26

Her words made Kang Min-jae gape.

I, too, couldn’t hide my surprise.

It was the very drama Kang was discussing just moments ago.

“…Would it be difficult?”

She asked, her eyes filled with anxiety, seemingly conscious of Kang’s reaction.

I sighed.

was a mega-hit drama that even someone like me, who had no interest in dramas, knew about.

Writer Jung Hye-jin was already famous, and this drama made her even more so, leading to a string of subsequent hits.

No, even putting all that aside, I’ve never handled a civil lawsuit before.

And copyright issues are even more foreign to me.

“Let’s hear the story first.”

I need to understand the nature of the case first.

“Blue Island Media, which produces , held a screenplay contest last year. I submitted a screenplay there. I wasn’t selected, and I was preparing for the next contest, thinking there was nothing I could do. But…”

The drama , with the exact same content as her screenplay, began to air.

The settings of the characters, the lines, and even the names of the characters were exactly the same.

With each episode that aired, the enthusiasm for the drama grew, but it was agony for her.

Because with each episode, episodes that were exactly like her screenplay poured out.

She couldn’t stand it any longer and contacted Blue Island Media, but there was no response.

She posted on the internet, but it went unnoticed.

She thought there was nothing more she could do,

“…So, I want to sue.”

She came to me.

“I see.”

I looked at the word [Truth] floating above her head.

I need to review the data to see if there is enough similarity to file a lawsuit, but I know that she is convinced of plagiarism.

But unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to help.

“I’m sorry, but we don’t specialize in copyright…”

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Can I have a word with you for a second?”

Kang Min-jae hurriedly stopped me and jumped up.

When I looked up at him, Kang Min-jae pulled my arm.

She answered that she understood with a bewildered face, and I was dragged to the veranda by Kang Min-jae.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re not going to do this?”

“It’s not my area of expertise.”

“Ah, but we can at least review it. If it seems worth doing after looking at the data, let’s do it.”

“Why?”

Kang Min-jae sighed as if frustrated.

“You know this drama is a huge hit, right? The amount of money they’ve made so far and the overseas export contracts are no joke.”

“So?”

“If we do this, our office will become famous, and we’ll be able to get a lot of retainer fees.”

“You’re saying we should take this case just for that? If you think about the client, it’s the right decision to tell them to go to an experienced office. It’s obvious that the client will suffer more even if they go to an experienced office.”

“I’ve done copyright lawsuits before.”

I crossed my arms at Kang’s words.

The word [Lie] floated above his head.

“If you keep lying, get out.”

“…Ah, me. How did you know?”

“Even if a big firm does it, it’s not an easy lawsuit if the other party is a drama production company. It could take years. But it’s too much of a burden for our office, which has just started, to take on this case.”

“No, well. That’s true. Blue Island Media is a big company. It’s a subsidiary of Wooshin. But if the client’s screenplay was definitely copied, it’s worth a try.”

“What?”

“Yes?”

Kang Min-jae asked back, surprised when I interrupted.

“Which affiliate did you say Blue Island Media is?”

“Wooshin.”

Wooshin Group, huh.

I can’t go in the direction of openly digging up corruption, but if I do well, I might be able to smear Wooshin’s face.

I wasn’t thinking of touching Wooshin yet, but from the group’s point of view, it’s a small issue, but it’s a case that could receive a lot of public attention.

It’s not bad to poke at it.

“Then let’s look at the data first. And then let’s think about it.”

Kang Min-jae looked at me with a surprised look on his face as I suddenly changed my attitude.

I ignored him and went back to the consultation table.

“Do you have any materials you’ve prepared?”

“Ah, yes. First of all, I have a summary article that I posted on the internet. And the screenplay I submitted to the contest, the synopsis for each episode, and the synopsis. I have everything.”

She diligently rummaged through her bag and took out a USB drive.

“It’s all in here. The 12-episode screenplay I wrote, too.”

“You wrote up to 12 episodes for the contest?”

Kang Min-jae asked, taking the USB drive.

“Yes. Usually, you only need to submit 4 episodes, but the Blue Island Media contest is different from other contests in that they receive up to 8 episodes. It causes resentment, but the prize money is the biggest, and even if you’re selected as a runner-up, they’ll make it into a video within two years, so everyone reluctantly writes it.”

“Ms. Na Eun-sung, you wrote four more episodes than that.”

“Yes. I thought they might look at it more favorably if there were more episodes. I also wanted to appeal to their diligence. I regret it now. I should have only sent 8 episodes… Well, anyway, I handed over the synopsis for each episode, so the 13th episode is the same.”

She sighed and said quietly.

“Did you register the copyright?”

At my question, Na Eun-sung nodded her head slightly with a stiff face.

“I did, but I did it late. I didn’t even think about it because I wasn’t familiar with that side of things, but then I heard somewhere that I had to do it, so I did it in a hurry.”

“When did you do it?”

“At the beginning of this year… That document is also in the USB.”

“It may be later than the drama.”

“Haa, that could be the case.”

“I understand. It’s coming out as the 13th episode now, so it will take some time to review it.”

Kang Min-jae brought a laptop and quickly searched.

When he plugged the USB drive into the laptop, a neatly organized document folder appeared.

In addition to what she said, there was also an email history of her submission to the contest and a capture of the confirmation that it had been received, and a document comparing the list of judges and the list of producers of .

I could feel that she had worked hard on her own before coming here.

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

“If you write down your name and contact information, we’ll let you know whether or not we’ll take the case after we check the data. If you have anything else you want to say in the meantime, please call us here.”

I handed her a business card and a memo pad.

In the meantime, Kang Min-jae started printing out her screenplay and the synopsis for each episode.

“Here you go. Then, can I leave now?”

“Yes. You can tell us the rest of the important details when we take the case.”

“What about the consultation fee…?”

“We haven’t been open for long, so we’re having a free event, ma’am. We’ll let you know about the retainer fee when we take the case. Hahaha. Right, attorney?”

Kang Min-jae, who was in front of the copier, interjected and laughed heartily.

I don’t know when the consultation fee became free, but it seems like it would be better to do as he says.

I nodded as if that was the way it was.

“That’s right.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you. I came here after hearing about Attorney Cha Joo-han’s reputation… I’m really counting on you.”

She bowed her head and left the office.

Kang Min-jae started cleaning up the consultation table, leaving the copier behind, which was constantly spitting out printed paper.

Then he asked me cautiously.

“But, attorney.”

“What?”

“I thought you said you weren’t a copyright expert, why did you suddenly change your mind?”

His gaze, glancing at me, was full of curiosity.

“I just thought it might be worth reviewing.”

“No other reason?”

“Another reason?”

Of course, there is.

The fact that Blue Island Media is a Wooshin affiliate.

In my previous life, when I started digging into Wooshin in earnest, Blue Island Media had already disappeared because it had been absorbed by WS E&M [Wooshin Entertainment & Media].

If Kang Min-jae hadn’t pointed it out, I would have forgotten about it.

“Yes. If not, never mind.”

Kang Min-jae brought two copies of the screenplay collection and the data she had prepared, as if it was nothing.

Looking at him stapling and sorting the screenplays by episode, I think that his work is really neat, as if he were an associate who used to work at Taekwang [a large law firm].

It’s not bad to use him, no, to have him as a colleague.

“Should we divide the work in half and check it?”

“Since there will be points where Kang’s opinion and mine differ anyway, it would be better to review everything that comes out of each of us.”

“Hmm, then how about we get a TV? It would be nice to watch it with a VOD [Video on Demand] service. You’re going to be watching news and stuff anyway. I happen to have a TV at my house that I don’t use…”

“I’ll take care of the expenses, so buy a TV.”

“…Yes.”

While he was searching for a TV to use in the office, I looked at the comparison data she had prepared.

I recalled the story that the comparison data was posted on the blog but was buried, and entered her blog address.

“Hmm.”

In addition to the comparison articles she had written, there were also additions attached each time an episode was broadcast.

This means that similar points continued to be discovered each time a new episode of the drama was released.

“[Let’s compare the similarities between SBC [Seoul Broadcasting System] drama (hereinafter referred to as Distance) and my screenplay (hereinafter referred to as Us).

While emphasizing the distance between the poor neighborhood where the female protagonist lives and the rich neighborhood where the male protagonist lives, it is contrasted by revealing that the neighborhoods belong to the same OO district, suggesting that they can be close enough.

– Female protagonist

1. A job seeker living in a shantytown on a hill in OO district, Seoul.

2. She has a hobby of drinking beer while looking at the skyscrapers in the rich neighborhood overlooking the shantytown. Every time she does, she is pessimistic about her situation and envies the people in the rich neighborhood.

3. She studied well, so she entered a prestigious university through a lower-income bracket. She graduated with a full scholarship.

4. Currently interning at the male protagonist’s large company.

5. She grew up in a single-parent family and has an immature sibling. There is an underlying incident that led to her being in a single-parent family, and the female protagonist lost her memory due to the shock at the time.

6. Her living parent is an alcoholic.

7. She is a tough woman who refuses the male protagonist’s advances because she believes that she cannot be with him due to the difference in their family environment.

– Male protagonist

1. A third-generation chaebol [family-owned conglomerate heir] living in a rich neighborhood overlooking the hill in OO district, Seoul.

2. He is known to have complicated and promiscuous relationships with women, but in fact, he is pretending to be for some reason.

3. An executive at the company where the female protagonist is interning.

4. He went to the same university as the female protagonist.

5. He persistently pursues and cares for the female protagonist.

– The female protagonist’s sibling

1. Not interested in studying and wants to go into arts and sports. However, since there is no money at home, she deviates by extorting money to buy the things she needs.

2. She follows and fears the female protagonist like a parent.

– The male protagonist’s secretary

A senior and junior in college with the two protagonists, in charge of comedy. He is highly trusted by the male protagonist’s parents.

– The male protagonist’s parents

Unlike ordinary chaebols, they want to marry the kind and sincere female protagonist, regardless of her family.

Common settings are included, but all the detailed settings are similar between and .

Even the titles are exactly the same in meaning, only the words have been changed.

In the case of the female protagonist’s sibling and the male protagonist’s secretary, who are supporting characters, they can only be seen as the same, only the gender has been changed.

The following is a look at the similarities in the episodes. …]”

I’ve only read up to the setting part, but it’s already similar.

Of course, I need to compare the screenplay and the drama to see how it’s portrayed.

That way, I can check whether the summary is really biased or not.

“Kang.”

“Yes?”

“Have you read the comparison article written by the client?”

“I’m reading the episode part now.”

“What do you think?”

“It seems a bit much? There are a lot of overlapping lines in the episode part.”

One of the important factors in copyright disputes is dependence [proving the alleged copy was derived from the original work].

This is sufficiently proven by the fact that it was submitted to the Blue Island Media contest and that some of the judges at the time are participating in the production of the drama .

“If we take this case…”

“Are you going to take it?!”

“If we take it. It’s a hypothetical.”

“…Yes.”

“If we file an injunction against the broadcast first, will it be good or bad in the public opinion battle?”

It goes in two ways.

If public opinion deeply sympathizes with the similarities between the two works, they will support the application for an injunction against the broadcast.

But if not?

They will resent that it is a trick to bring down a popular drama because they are jealous of its success.

“Well, we’ll have to see how the atmosphere is. First, we need to bring up the similar points as a topic, check public opinion, and then decide how to proceed.”

I think the same way.

If the other party is a large company, you cannot win in court unless you have public sympathy on your side.

“It seems like you’re leaning towards taking the case?”

I didn’t answer and closed the blog post.

There were only 10 comments, half of which were replies from the client.

Even the internet news, which writes about all sorts of trivial things, has turned a blind eye.

“Stop talking nonsense. When is the TV coming?”

“Tomorrow.”

In fact, as he said, I was leaning towards taking the case.

Because the other party is none other than Wooshin.