Shia LaBeouf Could Face Legal Action Over Plagiarism

Shia LaBeouf recently got himself into some trouble over a short film that he made. He debuted a short film called Howardcantor.com online, and it was quickly revealed that he had borrowed the same id...
Shia LaBeouf Could Face Legal Action Over Plagiarism
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  • Shia LaBeouf recently got himself into some trouble over a short film that he made. He debuted a short film called Howardcantor.com online, and it was quickly revealed that he had borrowed the same idea for a film that had already been used without giving credit.

    While it seems like something that most people learn in middle or high school, Shia LaBeouf seems to have overlooked the ethics of borrowing another person’s idea somehow. As a result, he could be facing legal trouble. He copied the story from a 2007 graphic novella called Justin M. Damiano by Daniel Clowes.

    Daniel Clowes is currently exploring his legal options, as the new story by Shia LaBeouf seems to reflect the original almost exactly.

    The short was taken down shortly after its release, and following that, he went on Twitter to address the claims of plagiarism. As if that wasn’t enough, some people that saw his apology even claim that he had plagiarized that from the internet, giving the same excuse of why Picasso had copied.

    The short film, which was debuted online by LaBeouf on Monday, tells the story of an anguished online film critic, and he is played by comedian Jim Gaffigan. The film began its circulation in the festival circuit hitting festivals such as Cannes in 2012, but did not officially reach the public until it was posted online this week, gaining the attention of Daniel Clowes.

    Shia LaBeouf did mention that the work was his inspiration, and he is embarrassed that he forgot to give credit in a rant on Twitter. However, Reynolds said that he has still failed to reach out to Clowes and personally apologize for what he did.

    Image via Twitter

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