Fantasy drama Love You Seven Times 七时吉祥 starring Ding Yuxi and Yang Chaoyue has been accused of plagiarism. Netizens have pointed out that the sword in the drama is similar to Momei, a sword from the animated wuxia series The Legend of Qin. In addition to this, Grief Record 哀情记, which A-Lin sang for the drama’s OST is also accused of having similar lyrics to Moonlight 月光, the theme song for The Legend of Qin animated series sung by Tiger Hu 16 years ago.
The Legend of Qin Issues Statement
The Legend of Qin has a novel, animated series and even a live-action, and longtime fans are crying foul. As the topic trended, The Legend of Qin official released a statement on August 17 saying that Love You Seven Times has neither communicated, consulted nor obtained authorization for any of their music, videos and props. Their statement reads:
“Our legal affairs and lawyers have investigated and obtained evidence of the infringement, and reserve the right to pursue the legal responsibility. We hope that the show will examine itself in a timely manner and handle matters properly. Thanks for the positive feedback and support from moon cakes and brown rice (pertaining to fans).”
A Prop Master Apologizes for Negligence
Meanwhile, a prop master for Love You Seven Times (Weibo handle: 深海大饭团) has also issued an apology. He said that he bought the sword from a prop store in Hengdian without realizing that it was from Legend of Qin. Admittedly, he said that it was his negligence that caused this issue. He also promised to be more careful in the future.
Meanwhile, netizens are divided on the issue. Some believe that the similarities between the sword and the OST are too close to be a coincidence, while others believe that the production team may have simply made an honest mistake. In response to those questioning his story and saying it’s impossible to buy the sword from a prop store, he posted a photo of the Hengdian shop still selling the Momei sword. He also responded to those believing him to be the fall guy and stressed that he really is in charge of props and swords. He said it’s a sword that rarely appears in the series so he opted to buy a finished product.
Love You Seven Times Official Apology
Around 10pm on August 17, Love You Seven Times finally issued an apology for not being able to catch that the sword was taken from an original work. They stated that they are fixing the relevant scenes urgently and they’ve also contacted the copyright owner @The Legend of Qin Official (秦时明月官方微博) to negotiate authorization. They wrote, “In the future, we will strengthen work requirements, strengthen the awareness of copyright protection, and make continuous efforts to create more beautiful film and television works. Finally, we once again express our sincerest apologies to the netizens who love “Love You Seven Times” and the animation “Qin Shi Ming Yue.” Thank you for your attention and supervision.” Nonetheless, some are asking why the plagiarism accusations on the song weren’t addressed.
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