Has this ever occurred to you that you simply considered making a undertaking however you left that concept unworked and somebody made the undertaking, with out you discussing the concept with any individual in any respect? Yes, ideas journey, as a result of they’re usually based mostly on observations. Perhaps filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s case shouldn’t be totally the identical because the aforementioned idea, however sure one thing comparable occurred to him. Renowned filmmaker Asghar Farhadi was charged with plagiarism concerning his 2021 movie A Hero. The criticism in opposition to Farhadi was made by his former pupil Azadeh Masihzadeh. Fortunately, Farhadi’s title has been cleared up and the fees have been confirmed obscure.
The authorized case had been ongoing for 2 years and it has lastly been cleared by the Iranian courtroom.
What was Asghar Farhadi’s plagiarism case all about?
One of Asghar Farhadi’s former college students, Azadeh Masihzadeh, claimed that the filmmaker’s 2021 movie was based mostly on the documentary she’d made in considered one of his Tehran-based filmmaking workshops in 2014. Both Masihzadeh’s documentary and Farhadi’s narrative have been impressed by a real-life incident in 2011, the place a person in Iran, whereas on furlough from a debtors’ jail, found a bag of gold cash and selected to return them to their proprietor as a substitute of preserving them for himself.
The authorized battle persevered for 2 years earlier than the Iranian courtroom lastly dominated the case in favor of Farhadi. The courtroom’s determination got here after three professors from the University of Tehran, who’re specialists in mental property rights gave testimony. Farhadi’s authorized win is extremely credited to them as their assertion influenced the courtroom’s determination. The professors supplied an affidavit that was in opposition to the appellant.
They put forth a big argument that steered that occasions such because the 2011 incident are thought of public property and are open to interpretation by a number of people. Just as a result of Masihzadeh made her documentary first, and Farhadi was conscious of it, didn’t imply she had a singular declare to the fabric.
Furthermore, the courtroom scrutinized varied variations of Masihzadeh‘s documentary as well as hours of footage from Farhadi’s filmmaking workshop, simply to verify the 2 works resembled one another. After hours of investigation, the courtroom concluded in favor of Farhadi. This steered that there was not enough proof of plagiarism or substantial similarity between the 2 works.
During the time, the courtroom’s determination was introduced, Farhadi was not in Iran as he was busy together with his filmmaking gig in Los Angeles.