Bradford loses Indian plagiarism case

CALCUTTA, India, July 22 (UPI) -- Author Barbara Taylor Bradford has lost a plagiarism lawsuit in India, the London Guardian reported Tuesday.

A court in Calcutta dismissed a claim by Bradford that an Indian television series was a rip-off of her best-selling novel, "A Woman of Substance."

Bradford obtained an injunction in Calcutta high court in May against airing the 262-episode series, "Karisma -- A Miracle of Destiny." Monday, however, the court ruled her lawyers had failed to establish conclusively that Bombay-based Sahara Media Entertainment had lifted material from her novel, and said the program could go on the air.

In her book, first published in 1979, the protagonist starts out as a servant but through sheer force of will turns a small shop into the world's greatest department store. In the TV series, Karisma is a street sweeper who rises to head an international corporation.

Her lawyers immediately filed an appeal in the supreme court. It is scheduled to be heard Friday.