An advertisement featuring BMW 8 series shot by Peng Yangjun, the director of a FAW-Volkswagen Audi ad which sparked a widespread controversy on copyright protection on the internet over the weekend, was criticized for content plagiarism and removed from multiple platforms. 
The BMW ad was released in August 2021. The ad was accused of copying the music video of a song “Hard Liquor” by an English singer SOHN that was released on January 13, 2017 and directed by Jovan Todorović, the paper.cn reported on Sunday. 

The report noted that the BMW ad and the music video of “Hard Liquor” are both in black and white in tone with high contrast, and high similarity in various components such as filming techniques, composition, split screen and other key elements. 

FAW-Volkswagen Audi apologized on Sunday for its ad featuring famous Hong Kong star Andy Lau which was accused of copying from a Douyin influencer for Lau making an introduction to the traditional Chinese solar term Xiaoman (grain buds). 

The London-based ad agency M&C Saatchi, which oversees the video content, apologized on Sunday saying that the team lacked copyright awareness and used the content without communication with the copyright owner. 

Lau also said on Sunday that he was sorry that the advertisement was involved in plagiarism, noting he has 100 percent respect for originality. 

Global Times