Taj Knockoff Angers India

A knockoff of the Taj Mahal has caused a full-blown diplomatic incident between India and Bangladesh, the London Times reports, and potentially one of the weirdest copyright disputes ever. Bangladeshi film mogul Ahsanullah Moni began showing his $80 million copy of the Taj this week, enraging Indians. “You can’t just go and copy historical monuments,” said one Indian High Commission official. “This is a protected site we are talking about.”

“Someone will go out there and have a look,” the official promised. “We need to find out if it really is the exact size.” The Bangladeshis, meanwhile, are confused and angered by suggestions that the centuries-old building is somehow copyrighted. “I’m not sure what they’re talking about,” said one official. “Show me where it says that emulating a building like this can be illegal.” (More India stories.)