Elif Şafak to pay compensation to Mine Kırıkkanat for plagiarism

Journalist Mine Kırıkkanat won the lawsuit against author Elif Şafak, claiming plagiarism from her novel "Sinek Sarayı" in Şafak's novel "Bit Palas."

If the decision becomes final after the appeals process, the new edition of Elif Şafak's novel "Bit Palas" cannot be published, and existing copies in the market will be recalled.

Furthermore, the detailed decision of the court will be published in one of the three newspapers with the highest circulation, and the advertising expenses will be collected from the defendants.

Mine Kırıkkanat made the following statement on her social media account:

"On October 19, 2021, the plagiarism case I filed against Elif Şafak resulted in my favor. The 1st Anatolian Intellectual and Industrial Rights Court of İstanbul, as detailed in the attached reasoned decision, ruled that Elif Şafak's novel 'Bit Palas' is a plagiarism of my novel 'Sinek Sarayı.' I sincerely thank the court that established justice throughout the legal process against both Elif Şafak and Doğan Kitap, the expert committee that meticulously compared the two books, my invaluable lawyer Murat Teber, and my dear daughter, Attorney Aleyna Yürek, with all my heart and soul."

Court: "Similarity goes beyond coincidence"

The detailed decision of the court includes the following statements:

"The similarity between Elif Şafak's 'Bit Palas,' first published in 2001, and 'Sinek Sarayı,' first published in 1990, goes beyond mere coincidence. Examining the plot, characters, setting, and chronological consistency in both books, it is concluded that Elif Şafak not only took inspiration but extensively benefited from both the title and content of Mine Kırıkkanat's book 'Sinek Sarayı,' to the extent that it amounts to plagiarism. It is acknowledged that this appropriation constitutes a violation of Mine Kırıkkanat's rights under the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works."

Doğan Kitap: "We will appeal the decision"

Doğan Kitap expressed the following statement, indicating its intention to appeal the decision:

"We completely reject the illegal decision made by the first degree court based on a controversial expert report. Because this decision cannot be justified either legally or literarily. Faced with this injustice, we have lodged the necessary objection with the higher court. We share with all literature enthusiasts that we will defend the rights of our author, literature, and truth through legal means.

This decision, based on "word similarities," poses a terrible danger to Turkish literature and art. Words and themes such as "street," "cat," "apartment," "garbage" are not exclusive to anyone. Otherwise, any kind of word similarity and thematic proximity could easily be subject to litigation. We condemn this decision, taken without considering the nature of literature, the horizon of creativity, and freedom of thought, for the sake of literature."(AÖ/PE)