Since the successful drama "Iris" was first shown in 2009, it has faced a series of lawsuits claiming that its characters and scenes were stolen from other works of fiction.
But the courts decided those claims were groundless. The drama, which starred Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Hee, has managed to win every plagiarism suit filed against it, including the final case, which was decided this week.
The lawsuits began in 2009 when Park Chul Joo, writer of the novel "The Sun Never Rises on Fuji Mountain," sued Taewon Entertainment, the production company for "Iris."
Park claimed that the drama plagiarized over 162 instances of his novel and kept him from being able to produce a drama of his own based on his book. Examples of plot similarities that he cited include the threat of a nuclear explosion in a city and the hero interacting with a female North Korean spy.
Taewon Entertainment agreed that the plot was similar in places but not similar enough for it to be considered plagiarism. The Seoul Central District Court agreed with the entertainment company and ruled against Park Chul Joo.
In 2010, another writer claimed his work was stolen but the judge again ruled in favor of Taewon Entertainment. In 2011, yet another writer sued, asking for financial compensation, and lost both his first trial and appeal.
This week, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the last lawsuit filed by a writer who said that the drama stole scenes from his serial novel published in 2003.
According to the writer, Mr. Lee, his novel involved a secret organization that tries to stop North and South Korea from reuniting. He also claimed that in "Iris," the main character's background was much like the background of the main character in his novel.
However, the court decided that while there was some similarity, there was not enough similarity between the two works to justify the charges of plagiarism. Reunification is a popular theme in Korean entertainment.
"The scenes that Mr. Lee says were plagiarized from a serial novel he published in 2003 are based on abstract ideas that aren't protected by copyright law," said the court in its ruling. "The scenes involve expressions that are typical in spy stories that focus on the division between North and South Korea. The drama and Mr. Lee's novel differ in detail, setting and dialogue."
The 20-episode espionage series "Iris" also starred Jung Joon Ho, Kim Seung Woo, Kim So Yeon and BigBang's T.O.P. The success of the series led to a feature film, a 2010 spin-off series, "Athena: Goddess of War" and a sequel, "Iris II" in 2013.
