Plagiarism row leads to call for stronger rules

Experts say that China's film and TV production industry should improve its self-regulation to better protect copyrights.

The ongoing dispute between Taiwan romance novelist Chiung Yao and mainland scriptwriter Yu Zheng, in which Chiung accused Yu of copying her works in his screenplays without permission, has drawn intense media coverage while sparking reflection of alleged plagiarism within the film and TV industry.

Screenwriters must stick to certain moral codes while re-creating TV plays based on existing works, and administrative authorities should pay more attention to copyright protection and punishing violators, pundits said.