EXCLUSIVE: Chinese streaming giant iQIYI is involved in a legal row after featuring Korean masterpiece Oldboy in its library for at least six years without a proper license.
iQIYI is one of the biggest streaming services in the world, with more than 100M subscribers, but the company has faced a legal claim from Oldboy’s London-based distributor Celsius Entertainment.
Deadline understands that lawyers acting for Celsius and Oldboy producer Egg Films contacted iQIYI last August to allege that the streaming service had breached copyright after its license for the film expired in 2016.
“The pirated broadcast of this film will have a wide range of negative impacts in China, South Korea as well as around the world,” iQIYI was warned in a legal letter seen by Deadline.
“Your company has the social responsibility to protect intellectual property rights and safeguard the corporate image of Chinese enterprises, so please treat this matter with caution.”
iQIYI has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
Celsius is said to have demanded compensation of low six-figure U.S. dollars, emphasizing the value of Park Chan-wook‘s 2003 film, which won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, led by jury president Quentin Tarantino.
Sources said iQIYI removed Oldboy from the platform within three days of receiving the legal warning, but has been reluctant to meet Celsius’ compensation demands.
iQIYI is only thought to have offered a low four-figure sum to Celsius, with negotiations reaching a stalemate late last year. iQIYI has not paid any compensation to date.
Deadline understands that iQIYI has refused to provide streaming figures for the film, as well as a copy of its purchase agreement and proof of subscription video-on-demand rights in China.
Oldboy stars Choi Min-sik as a man who was kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. After he’s released, he has five days to find his captor.
Oldboy’s popularity was underlined last month when Lionsgate Television announced that it was adapting the film into an English-language series, with Park set to produce.
Oldboy was the second title in Park’s Vengeance trilogy, following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and preceding Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005).
Spike Lee remade the feature in 2013 with Josh Brolin portraying the lead character, Joe Doucett.
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