In a plagiarism case, a Turkish court mandated that author Elif Şafak, a world-famous writer of numerous bestselling books and the publishing house Doğan Kitap, based in Türkiye, must compensate for both financial and moral damages.
The court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, Iclal Mine Kırıkkanat, who claimed that Şafak's "Bit Palas" ("The Flea Palace") bore similarities to her book, "Sinek Sarayı."
"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 to the extent that it amounts to plagiarism, the court said.
"It is acknowledged that this appropriation constitutes a violation of Mine Kırıkkanat's rights under the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works," it added.
It ordered that the financial and material compensation will be paid by France-born Şafak, several of whose books, including "Bit Palas," have been bestsellers in Türkiye and internationally.
The court also ruled that the publishing company was liable for material compensation and moral damages.
It acknowledged the right of appeal within two weeks for both parties.
"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 Istanbul, as detailed in the attached reasoned decision, ruled that Elif Şafak's novel 'Bit Palas' is a plagiarism of my novel 'Sinek Sarayı,'" Kırıkkanat said on X, thanking her legal team.
The legal dispute was initiated when Iclal Mine Kırıkkanat's attorney submitted a petition to the court, stating that her work, "Sinek Sarayı," was published in 1990.
The petition alleged that Elif Şafak's "Bit Palas," first published in 2002 and subsequently by Doğan Kitap from 2009 onwards, exhibited plagiarism beyond the 60th page, including plot, setting, certain characters and writing style from Kırıkkanat's book.
In response, the Türkiye-based Doğan Kitap Publishing House argued in its defense petition that the allegations lacked legal basis and requested the dismissal of the lawsuit.
Şafak, renowned for her bestsellers "The Forty Rules of Love" and "The Bastard of Istanbul" among others, stated in her defense that the claims of inspiration between "Bit Palas" and "Sinek Sarayı" were unfounded both in literary and legal terms, urging the court to reject the lawsuit.
