A Chinese streaming platform was accused of copying the hit show Squid Game from Netflix after promoting a new game show called Squid Victory.
The streaming service Youku is one of the most popular entertainment platforms in China with up to 90 million subscribers.
The streaming giant Netflix is now banned in China – as is its South Korean hit series Squid Game.
However, Youku has come under fire from customers after a poster for her new variety show Squid Victory was shared online, reports the South China Morning Post.
A Chinese streaming platform was accused of copying the hit show Squid Game (left) from Netflix after promoting a new game show called Squid Victory (right).
Critics claim that the new Youku show copies both the content and design of the popular Korean series.
In the new show, announced on Wednesday, attendees are expected to take part in a series of “large-scale children’s games,” according to the BBC.
And the branding has also been found to resemble the distinctive design used by the creators of Squid Game.
Users of the Weibo website – a Chinese version of Twitter – blew up the copy, claiming it was “shameful” by one.
In the new show, announced on Wednesday, attendees are expected to take part in a number of Chinese children’s games. Pictured: Netflix’s Squid Game
Following the online backlash to the promotion for the new show, Youku posted a statement on Weibo alongside a redesigned poster.
It said: “We made a mistake. We mistakenly used the original design that was killed earlier. We sincerely regret the misunderstanding that has arisen. ‘
It added that the name of its new show has now also been changed to Game’s Victory rather than Squid Game.
This is not the first time Chinese companies have been accused of copying ideas from other companies and creating their own versions.
In 2019, nearly £ 3 million of counterfeit designer label goods made in China were seized by border guards in the run-up to Christmas.
Counterfeit Gucci scarves and counterfeit Nike trainers were among more than 10,000 items seized in a crackdown on organized crime gangs trying to take advantage of the UK market.
Interior Ministry officials said at the time that all of the “Christmas counterfeits” seized between November and December 2019 were from China.
Users of the Weibo website – a Chinese version of Twitter – blew up the copy, claiming it was “shameful” by one. Pictured: Korean show Squid Game
The supply included 1,300 counterfeit Chanel, Burberry and Gucci scarves, valued at an estimated 900,000 pounds, that were seized at the London Gateway Port, while officials at the Milton Keynes Inland Pre-Clearance Center included 850 counterfeit Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace -, Nike, Champion and Converse bags seized and £ 842,000 worth of sneakers, £ 3,400 counterfeit linen and tableware from the Royal Crown Derby Collection valued at £ 300,000 and counterfeit Dr. Dre Beats headphones and Apple earbuds worth £ 778,000.
And in 2015 auto experts criticized a Chinese sports car as “pastiche of the worst kind” and claimed that it looked suspiciously like a Ferrari and a Porsche together.
The Suzhou Eagle Carrie was marketed as a fully electric sports car that went from 0 to 100 km / h in just 4.8 seconds.
But on closer inspection, the car looked remarkably similar to European supercars, combining the headlights of a Ferrari with the distinctive body and rear of a Porsche.
The Suzhou Eagle Carrie (left) was criticized in 2015 for its striking resemblance to a Porsche and a Ferrari (right) and branded as “pastiche”.
Even the Porsche and Eagle emblems showed remarkable similarities in color and design
The red, yellow and black emblem of the Carrie also shows unmistakable similarities with the logo on the front of a Porsche.
The car was unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show and is just one in a long list of Chinese engines that look like models made in Europe.
However, the industry cannot do anything about the similarities, as designs in China cannot be protected.
Jim Holder, Editor of Autocar, said at the time, “It’s so bold it’s more ridiculous than a serious car.
“The problem with these China-built rip-offs is that they undermine the growing credibility of some of the increasingly competitive local manufacturers who are developing and innovating new cars closer to international standards than ever before.
“Chinese officials’ reluctance to stamp copycat designs is not doing anyone a favor – well-heeled customers won’t queue to buy such a clearly copied product, and few people will want the mockery of being seen in one.”
