Shia LaBeouf in plagiarism controversy

Shia LaBeouf has apologised to comic book author Daniel Clowes after being accused of plagiarising his work.The ‘Transformers’ star’s short film HowardCantour.com, which he wrote and directed, surfaced on Vimeo yesterday (December 16) and Clowes fans quickly pointed out the similarities between LaBeouf’s film and the comic creator’s 2007 work Justin M Damiano.Both pieces centre around a film critic, with LaBeouf’s film using dialogue from Clowes’s original story without credit.“I’ve never even seen one of his films that I can recall - and I was shocked, to say the least, when I saw that he took the script and even many of the visuals from a very personal story I did six or seven years ago and passed it off as his own work. I actually can’t imagine what was going through his mind,” Clowes said. LaBeouf has since taken to his Twitter feed to apologise for lifting Clowes’s story.“Copying isn’t particularly creative work. Being inspired by someone else’s idea to produce something new and different IS creative work,” he wrote.“In my excitement and naiveté as an amateur filmmaker, I got lost in the creative process and neglected to follow proper accreditation.“I’m embarrassed that I failed to credit Daniel Clowes for his original graphic novella Justin M Damiano, which served as my inspiration.“I deeply regret the manner in which these events have unfolded and want Daniel Clowes to know that I have a great respect for his work.”

Leisure

Shia LaBeouf in plagiarism controversy