Chapter 119…
I just wanted to stay in “mouth shut” mode and win, regardless of whether Judge Myung Jae-wook played king or not.
This case was clear-cut: defendant Choi Geon-ha had infringed Im Seung-chan’s copyright.
The sooner it ended, the better.
But first, if you see the judge cutting off the plaintiff’s lawyer, you know he’s angry.
Constitution Article 103:
Judges shall be independent in their adjudication in accordance with the Constitution and laws and guided by their conscience.
…where did that go?
“Violating the citizen’s right to a fair trial guaranteed by the Constitution.”
Someone who doesn’t understand where a judge’s authority comes from.
“Sangil Construction (the parent company of Ruin Films) has government connections, so I doubted it—but he even pocketed a bribe.”
Judge Myung Jae-wook, playing king, called defendant Choi Geon-ha in a friendly tone:
“Defendant, give your rebuttal statement.”
“Yes. It’s true that defendant Choi Geon-ha signed a writing contract with plaintiff Im Seung-chan. However, I believe copyright infringement should be judged according to Judge Myung Jae-wook’s precedent.”
“Judge Myung Jae-wook’s precedent?”
Making that obvious… he’s thoroughly crazy.
“First, for literary works, sentences are relatively short and there’s little room for creativity or ingenuity. Identical expressions or formats…”
This was aimed at the identical openings of Jack in the Moneybox and Money War.
-
Where are you now?
“Office.” -
It’s a special situation; don’t come to the office, go find Lee Min-hee.
“Right away? Okay (Choi Geon-ha knows).”
After getting in a taxi driven by a beautiful woman:
-
You got caught, right?
‘The protagonist Isago and the main character’s dialogue in Jack are ordinary lines anyone could say.’
“…If the expressions are common and ordinary, it’s hard to say the author’s individuality is reflected.”
‘So if you use everyday phrases like “Good morning” or “Long time no see,” it’s not copyright infringement?’
By that logic, no creative work in the world could ever be copyrighted, literary or visual.
Everyday expressions enhance realism and help readers emotionally connect, ensuring plausibility.
‘The defendant’s lawyer must know they evaluate character settings and plot structures holistically.’
This messy approach is probably to fabricate a plausible-looking record for court maneuvering.
But their strategy of nitpicking everyday expressions worked in our favor.
‘Rebutting by citing the losing side’s precedent basically means there’s nothing else to rebut.’
“Also, the defendant jointly wrote after contracting with the plaintiff. The process of joint writing…”
He exaggerated the process of revising and correcting typos.
“Especially since the plaintiff was inexperienced, please consider that the defendant could only have contracted with Madfeel because of this.”
A mere script with similar ideas, and the ridicule that Im Seung-chan couldn’t contract with Madfeel anyway—absurd.
The judge asking at this moment was also a problem.
“Did the plaintiff submit anything to Madfeel before contracting with the defendant?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“At that time, the film company Madfeel didn’t exist yet.”
A cough echoed from the law school bench.
“Then, how do you view this?”
What do you mean?
“The defendant wrote jointly, right?”
Smiling at Myung Jae-wook:
“It cannot be joint writing. Focus on the copyright registration date of Exhibit 1 ‘Jack’ (original work).”
“…Copyright registration?”
He handed over the document.
“The script was registered for copyright before the defendant met plaintiff Im Seung-chan at the writing camp.”
For it to be joint writing, it would have to be significantly different—more than just suggesting ideas.
“Hmm, the dates…”
“Copyright registration: June 29, 2017; Writing camp: July 20, 2018; Contract with Ruin Films: August 2, 2018.”
“…….”
“Even though the contract ended on August 1, 2021, defendant Choi Geon-ha stole the work and contracted with Madfeel on December 12, 2020.”
It was crystal clear.
Moreover:
Exhibit 2: Script submitted by Im Seung-chan to Choi Geon-ha.
Exhibit 3: Script Choi Geon-ha contracted with Madfeel.
Exhibit 4: Plagiarism analysis by the Korean Screenwriters’ Guild.
“It’s obvious the defendant only made forced modifications and corrected typos because he didn’t understand the original work.”
“Modifications? In what way?”
‘He didn’t even look at the comparison copy.’
But this was an opportunity—something to lightly provoke Choi Geon-ha.
He fumbled through papers, looking at Myung Jae-wook.
“Can I question defendant Choi Geon-ha?”
“If it’s a question, yes.”
Judge Myung Jae-wook gladly allowed it. He probably thought I wouldn’t respond, but the reality was different.
“Defendant, do you remember in the Jack scriptbook S#24, when Nam-nyeo hangs on a cable from the building, Isago says, ‘Did you check the weather?’”
“Yes, that scene conveys their emotional story through mise-en-scène. I brilliantly showed it with postmodern sensibility.”
He sounded confident.
“In the next dialogue, Im Seung-chan wrote:
Nam-nyeo: (sweeping hair in the strong wind) Did you check the weather?
Isago: (teeth chattering) Yes. But it’s so cold.
Nam-nyeo: (surprised) I know you’re pretty.
The defendant changed it to:
Isago: Yes. But why so pretty?”
“Yes. ‘Pretty’ hits the audience more directly than ‘cold’.”
He shrugged.
“The inexperienced plaintiff often misses film mise-en-scène, so I modified it for detail.”
Choi Geon-ha still didn’t understand.
“Are you directing the love relationship between Isago and Nam-nyeo?”
“Of course. The romance between male and female leads is essential in commercial films. This applies here too.”
He tilted his head.
“Strange, Isago is the protagonist ‘Jack.’ If Nam-nyeo is the female lead, the script is ruined.”
“…What?”
Scratch marks on his career.
“She acts like she likes him but actually hates him. If the defendant participated, you could tell just by S#24’s latter part.”
“…Gondola?”
Yes, S#24. That scene shows their hate relationship.
He went on, explaining every detail of the scene, the dialogue nuances, and the use of Jeju dialect in the script to show subtle emotions.
Choi Geon-ha had no idea, thinking the plaintiff was just a rookie making mistakes.
“‘Good job, tie the rope’—that’s Jeju dialect. Linking it with the next line makes the scene smoother.”
What could be more graceful?
An author’s individuality shows through their writing style—even a rookie like Im Seung-chan.
“The plaintiff’s drafts and scripts carefully use Jeju dialect and standard Korean nuances in dialogue, creating subtle wordplay.”
“But the defendant never understood this in any script he took or wrote himself.”
No originality, no real script, just habitual theft.
I was going to compare his supposed scripts to those of other rookie authors… when Choi Geon-ha erupted:
“You bastard!!!”
Crash! Bang!
He charged to attack me. The defense lawyer fell, a court attendant ran over, but couldn’t stop him.
“Hey, Choi Geon-ha!”
“You holding my hand is assault! Who do you think you are?! I have nothing to lose!!!”
…Is he sane?
I had indeed provoked him, but it escalated.
What I had to do was: keep the plaintiff back and face the court, holding his red hand.
“What are you doing in court?! You cannot use violence with Judge Myung Jae-wook right here!”
“Are you holding my hand? That’s assault!”
“It’s not just me, you’d hit the plaintiff too! You know Im Seung-chan’s health!”
“What do I know!!!”
Oh…
Now that Myung Jae-wook’s “king act” was challenged:
“Officer!!! Detain him immediately!”
“Yes!”
Wow, it’s been a while since I saw a detention in court.
