Wen Ying’s college life began like this.
The school year had just started, so the freshman courses weren't very challenging. Aurora University's freshman military training was usually scheduled during the summer before the start of the sophomore year, so Wen Ying and her group of freshmen hadn't been busy with anything else; everyone was currently adapting.
College students have more freedom than high school students.
Some students can still restrain themselves when they go to college, while others completely let themselves go.
Along with Wen Ying’s university life, the second trial of the Blue Whale plagiarism case also began.
The evidence that "Crown of Thorns" plagiarized "Star River with You" was too conclusive. Zheng Zhihe, who was looked down upon by Wen Ying in Zhang Liqun's divorce lawsuit, went all out in this plagiarism lawsuit. After two hearings, the court confirmed the fact that "Crown of Thorns" was plagiarized.
"The Crown of Thorns" is not only plagiarized, but the degree of plagiarism is extremely serious. The entire book is Blue Whale rewriting the story of "Galaxy and You" in his own language.
From the character setting to the story development, the climax to the ending, the names and professional backgrounds have been changed, but the other main points and context are exactly the same.
This is more serious than plagiarizing one or two paragraphs or dozens of original sentences.
The original sentence can be modified if it is plagiarized, but how can you modify the entire story if it is copied from beginning to end?
Such a plagiarized work can actually be sold for film and television rights and adapted into a TV series. If the original author does not sue, the plagiarist will really make a fortune!
The evidence prepared by Zheng Zhihe was sufficient, leaving Blue Whale's attorney speechless during the trial.
The plaintiff Wen Ying didn't even have to appear in court before the court announced the verdict: first, all copies of "Crown of Thorns" currently on sale had to be removed from the shelves; second, Blue Whale himself had to publicly apologize to Wen Ying; third, Blue Whale had gained unjust profits through plagiarism and had to compensate Wen Ying for economic losses of 2.8 million Chinese yuan.
Wen Ying asked for 5 million yuan in compensation, and the court finally ordered Blue Whale to pay 2.8 million yuan in compensation.
Wen Ying herself was quite satisfied with the result. As far as she knew, this was probably the heaviest amount of money ever awarded for plagiarism of literary works in China.
The reason for this judgment is that the plagiarized book "Galaxy and You" has achieved outstanding results. According to statistics as of July 31 this year, "Galaxy and You" has actually sold 1.85 million copies, and the total print run has exceeded two million copies.
"Galaxy and You" is priced at 38 yuan per copy. Based on a 12% royalty rate, 1.85 million copies means more than 8 million yuan in royalty income.
Furthermore, the first print run of "The Crown of Thorns" was impressive, with 600,000 copies printed in one go. This initial print run surprised even Mu Fan and others who were participating in the variety show. Today, this 600,000-copy first print run has become a key indicator in court rulings on financial compensation.
Even if Blue Whale didn't earn 2.8 million in royalties, it still sold the film and television adaptation rights of "The Crown of Thorns", so the total must have been 2.8 million.
"When the verdict came out, Blue Whale burst into tears and said she had no money to pay."
Zheng Zhihe lamented on the phone, "She definitely doesn't have the money to pay 5 million, but she should have 2.8 million. Seeing her crying so sadly, I couldn't help but care for her."
Zheng Zhihe's tone was full of compassion, but Wen Ying didn't believe a word of it.
"Lawyer Zheng, I'd like to remind you that you played a significant role in getting Blue Whale to pay 2.8 million yuan in compensation."
As the plaintiff's lawyer, Wen Ying instinctively felt that something was wrong with Zheng Zhihe because he still cared about the defendant after winning the case.
Zheng Zhihe firmly denied it, "I was afraid that she really didn't have the money to accompany you, and it would be difficult for the court to enforce the order..."
Wen Ying interrupted Zheng Zhihe's righteous words: "Come on, don't go off topic. Tell me, what results did you get from caring about Blue Whale?"
"There really is a hidden story. It turns out that most of Blue Whale's royalties were taken away by Bao Lixin. I thought, let's be fair. Blue Whale is wrong for plagiarizing your book, but she's also a victim of Bao Lixin reaping the royalties. So I gave Blue Whale a business card and said I could help her sue and get the money back!"
Even through the phone, Wen Ying could feel how righteous Zheng Zhihe was.
"Lawyer Zheng, outsiders don't understand me... no, they don't understand you as lawyers. They often accuse you of eating both the plaintiff and the defendant. I don't know what other lawyers think, but you really don't have such a reputation for nothing!"
Wen Ying couldn't help laughing as she teased.
She was not really blaming Zheng Zhihe, but Zheng Zhihe was becoming more and more like the "Senior Brother Zheng" in Wen Ying's memory, and was practicing the life motto of "harmony is the most precious" in a solid way.
Zheng Zhihe snorted, "You're so ungrateful. If I don't help Blue Whale with the lawsuit, how can Bao Lixin be punished?"
Wen Ying can only sue Blue Whale for plagiarism. She cannot sue Blue Whale's publishing house or Bao Lixin.
When a publishing house signs a contract with a writer, they will ask the writer to guarantee that the work does not contain plagiarism or infringement. If such behavior occurs, the responsibility lies with the writer himself, and the publishing house is also deceived.
The plagiarism lawsuit cannot sue Bao Lixin, but the behavior of Bao Lixin secretly taking away most of the royalties from Blue Whale can be sued. This is called taking advantage of one's position to accept large bribes!
When a writer wants to publish a novel, most of the royalties actually go to the editor-in-chief of the publishing house. After Bao Lixin's behavior was exposed, not only will he lose his current job, but his future job search will also be greatly affected.
In a broader sense, Zheng Zhihe was helping the publishing industry get rid of harm, but in a narrower sense...it's fine that Bao Lixin bullied Wen Ying, but why did he bully Xiao Niu?
If Bao Lixin hadn't caused trouble, Wen Ying might not have changed jobs.
Xiao Niu generously wishes Wen Ying a better future, but Zheng Zhihe feels sorry for his girlfriend.
Besides, taking one more commission means earning more income.
In less than three years of working in Chengdu, Xiao Niu has already saved enough for a down payment on a house and has even been promoted to deputy editor-in-chief of Spark magazine. Zheng Zhihe admires Xiao Niu's independent spirit and is worried that if he doesn't work hard enough, she'll be left behind. So, he works even harder than before.
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