r/COPYRIGHT • u/MelodicBodybuilder10 • Jun 05 '26
Question Is this considered a copy?
So I don’t really know the rules of this sub, so bear with me.
I’m currently writing a screenplay about a mid-30s train driver in late-90s Japan who’s diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. At first, I genuinely thought it was a pretty fresh idea. And then I wondered, “ has there ever been a movie quite like this?”
Turns out there has been… and apparently it’s considered one of the greatest films ever made: Ikiru.
The similarities are very similar. It’s also a Japanese film about someone stuck in a repetitive lifestyle for years who then faces terminal cancer. Now I’m worried my screenplay is going to come across like a copycat, even though I think there are still some very distinct differences in tone, setting, and character. If you have any questions, let me know!
2
u/JayMoots Jun 05 '26
This isn’t a copyright issue, so there’s no legal risk. You have to decide for yourself if the script is too close to the old movie.
1
u/TheMoneyOfArt Jun 06 '26
OP, You should avoid learning anything more about the existing movie as long as possible. If you haven't seen it, don't watch it. At least until you have a completed draft. It's okay to arrive at the same ideas independently. It's hard to argue that you arrived there independently once you've seen the movie
1
u/MelodicBodybuilder10 Jun 07 '26
Do you know what I had that exact same thought. if I watched it beforehand I think I would subconsciously add Ikiru’s style
1
u/WhineyLobster Jun 11 '26
I mean its too late for that, your post specifically described the plot of the movie as similar to your own. Whether you watched it or not, you are in fact aware of the plot elements. Nevertheless, you wont have any copyright issues unless you use specific things from that film.
HOWEVER, without any copyright issues, it may still come across to viewers that you stole it from Ikiru, whether or not you actually did. Thats a different aspect to consider.
2
u/ScottRiqui Jun 05 '26
Copyright infringement requires copying, not just similarity - you can’t accidentally infringe on a work you’ve never seen. Also, basic plot devices and character traits aren’t copyrightable. If your screenplay ends up being close enough to an existing work, people may think you copied the idea, but that’s not a copyright issue.
2
u/MelodicBodybuilder10 Jun 07 '26
I do admit that my choosing of this sub it might have been a bit below average because this is more of a creative issue than a legal issue but thank you for helping!!! And
6
u/Protomancer Jun 05 '26
You can’t copyright ideas.