Perak apologises to Taiwanese director for plagiarism, says Sukma video not official material

IPOH: The Perak Government has apologised to Taiwanese director Gavin Yin over a minute-long video on the 2018 Malaysia Games (Sukma) that bears a striking resemblance to the latter's Taiwan In Motion 2017 video.

State Sports Committee chairman Howard Lee Chuan How said he had contacted Yin on Monday (Aug 27) night to explain the similarities between the two videos.

"He has gracefully accepted our explanation with an open mind.

"Though the state government neither played a part nor ordered the alleged plagiarism, we nonetheless apologised unreservedly for the mistake," he told a press conference here on Tuesday (Aug 28).

"The video, done by a company in Kuala Lumpur, was only meant as a preview for three other official promotional videos for Sukma, which will be aired on RTM soon," Lee explained.

"The state made the mistake by not checking the video first before sharing it on social media," he said.

Last week, the video went viral on social media and received flak from netizens, with some saying it was plagiarism and a shame to Malaysia.

Another 18-second video was also uploaded on social media, showing the bit with the most similarities with Yin's video, which was used to promote the 29th Summer Universiade in Taipei last year.

Lee said the video had been taken down from official channels.

"Yin said the mistake should not be allowed to overshadow the hard work put in by the athletes, the organisers and the government in ensuring that Sukma went well for everyone.

"He also wished all our athletes and the state government all the best," Lee said.

According to him, the state was waiting for confirmation from RTM on the exact time slot to air the three official promotional videos.

"The local producer is now editing the videos.

"Some elements from the aforementioned video will still be used in the official videos," said Lee.