CHINESE screenwriter Yu Zheng and four other defendants were ordered to compensate Taiwan novelist Chiung Yao 5 million yuan (US$806,322) and make on public apology for plagiarising Chiung’s novel. The plagiarism case was on public trial yesterday on Christmas Day.

    According to the official Sina Weibo account of the No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court in Beijing, the court publically heard Chiung’s lawsuit against mainland screenwriter Yu and four other defendants for plagiarism.

    Chiung pressed charges against Yu in May, claiming that the plot of the TV series “The Palace: The Lost Daughter” was almost completely copied without permission from her novel “Plum Blossom Scar.”

    Chiung seeked 20 million yuan, just over US$3 million, in compensation.

    A total of 109 Chinese screenwriters have voiced support for the novelist, condemning all forms of plagiarism and saying they sought justice in the case.(SD-Agencies)