Audi director called out (again), this time for plagiarism of 2021 BMW ad

German vehicle and motorcycle manufacturer BMW was accused of content plagiarism, and the brand has removed the ad from multiple platforms, according to a report from Global Times. The ad released in August 2021, featured BMW 8 series and sparked controversies on copyright protection on the internet last month.

Global Times said the ad was accused of copying the music video of English singer SOHN's Hard Liquor. It was reported that BMW's ad and the music video of Hard Liquor were similar to each other with both of them carrying black and white tones with high contrast. Filming techniques, composition, split screen and other key elements were noted to be highly similar in execution as well.

The video, which has since been removed, was shot by Peng Yangjun, who unfortunately was caught in headlines for another ad controversy recently. He was claimed to be the director of Audi's recent ad which sparked a widespread controversy for using a poem from a Douyin blogger without proper consent and attribution. The blogger said the poem was written by him and also condemned the brand for failing to properly communicate with him before using his poem for the ad.

Since the accusation, Audi confirmed the removal of the video ad from all online channels and apologised for causing trouble to Hong Kong signer Andy Lau who was casted as part of the campaign, along with all related parties. The statement from Audi also stated the campaign idea was raised and led by M&C Saatchi, but the brand will deal with the copyright infringement issues in due course. 

Meanwhile, M&C Saatchi issued a statement apologising for using Mange’s original content without consent and communications with the copyright owner. The agency also admitted its lack of copyright awareness, and expressed its deep regret for causing Lau, Mange and Audi huge troubles.
(Photo courtesy: 123rf)

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