Non-prosecution of Dr. Lee's eldest son, Lee Byung-gu, on copyright infringement charges
Lee Seung-man (Photo by Asia Economy DB)
[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The couple of Dr. Lee In-su, the adopted son who was embroiled in a fraud controversy regarding the copyright of former President Syngman Rhee's book, has been cleared of charges by the police.
According to the police on the 23rd, the Hyehwa Police Station in Seoul dismissed the fraud accusation filed by Shin Woo-hyun, CEO of the publishing company Gwangchang Media, against Dr. Lee In-su and his wife in January.
Previously, in May 2017, CEO Shin signed a contract worth 3 million won with Dr. Lee to transfer the copyright of the 1941 English-published book Japan Inside Out until the end of 2036. Japan Inside Out is a book in which former President Rhee analyzed international affairs and is famous for predicting Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.
However, this contract was made when Dr. Lee did not hold the copyright. Although Dr. Lee inherited after former President Rhee's death in 1965, the copyright of Japan Inside Out was inherited by his adoptive mother, Mrs. Francesca, not Dr. Lee. Mrs. Francesca passed away in 1992, but Dr. Lee had renounced inheritance of her estate.
Despite this background, the police judged "it is difficult to see that the accused intended to embezzle the contract money" and cleared the charges. They concluded that the confusion was due to the fact that the copyright inheritance occurred long ago, and there was no intent to deceive.
The police also considered that Dr. Lee sent a certified letter to CEO Shin acknowledging belatedly that he did not have the copyright, and that the contract was canceled through proper procedures such as depositing the 3 million won contract money in court.
Furthermore, the police dismissed the copyright infringement charge against Dr. Lee's eldest son, Lee Byung-gu, who had posted CEO Shin's corrected manuscript (proofread version) online without permission.
CEO Shin's side is reportedly actively considering filing an objection against the police's decision.
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