On 19th August 2020, Chinese pop duo Milk Coffee, posted the statement: “Make music well and be a good person” on their official Weibo account. Netizens suspect that the post was made in response response to He Luoluo’s new song “Shuke Beita”, as it seemingly plagiarized Milk Coffee’s song “Hello Tomorrow”.
Prior to the post, Milk Coffee had asked NetEase Music to take down the song as they accused the song of plagiarism. This matter quickly escalated and became a “hot search” topic on Weibo.
R1SE’s Official page Responds To Copyright Accusations
In response to the heated discussion, R1SE’s official Weibo posted a statement:
“The release of R1SE’s member He Luo Luo performing the theme song “Shuke Beita” has led to public attention and discussion. As the singer of the theme song, He Luo Luo and the entertainment company are encouraged to support originality and to respect copyright. Regarding the current public concern on the dispute, our company immediately looked into this matter and inform that Mr. He Luo Luo himself respects the principal of originality and copyright and will continue to pay close attention to this matter.”
Regarding the statement, He Luo Luo himself also stated that he respects good music and its originality.
Some fans have showed their support for He Luo Luo, stating that he is just a singer who is waiting for the music producer to respond. Others have said that He Luo Luo should have had his own sense of judgement and take responsibility for the songs that he sings. Another group of netizens have stepped out to say that some are using this situation to slander and make false statements about the pop group Milk Coffee.
Many have been quick to point out and criticise the producer of “Shuke Beita” – Liu Jia, as he was also previously accused of producing copyrighted works in the past. Back in 2017, the song Liu Jia produced for SING女团 girl group was also accused of plagiarism. This matter caused the song to be taken down. The girl group also had to immediately halt promotions for the song. The issue was only resolved after they purchased the original copyright ownership to resolve the problem.
Producer Liu Jia Responds To The Controversy
Later, Liu Jia finally released an official statement via his Weibo. Mr. Liu Jia and his company denied the plagiarism issue and published a comparison of the songs, saying that “The two have obvious differences in rhythm, and the pitch, and number of notes are also different”.
The statement also indicated that they fully respect the originality of works and remain willing to amicably resolve the matter with Milk Coffee.
Milk Coffee Strikes Back, Implicitly Threatening Legal Action
But it looks like this issue doesn’t stop here. Kiki, one of the two members of Milk Coffee updated her Weibo hinting at a possibility that the duo might proceed with legal procedure.
On 20 August, the official Weibo of Milk Coffee posted a comparison video of the two songs along with the caption:
“The composer remarked that as the composition is concerned, it is not plagiarism. The rhythm and style of the two songs are completely different.
We reserve the right to pursue legal liabilities.”
Click this link to view the comparisons: https://bit.ly/3j3BGdk
As of now, the situation is still ongoing and both parties have yet to settle on an outcome.