Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Taj Knockoff Angers India

Say there might be a copyright issue somehow

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 12, 2008 2:21 PM CST

(Newser) – 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.”

Muslims offer Eid al-Adha prayers at the Mosque inside Taj Mahal complex in Agra, India, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008.
Muslims offer Eid al-Adha prayers at the Mosque inside Taj Mahal complex in Agra, India, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008.   (AP Photo/Pawan Sharma)
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visit the 17th-century Taj Mahal during their six-week royal visit to India in 1961.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visit the 17th-century Taj Mahal during their six-week royal visit to India in 1961.   (Getty Images)
 Water reflecting the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Water reflecting the Taj Mahal in Agra.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Disputed Island Disappears Beneath Waves

Developing Nations Were In on 'Danish Text'

21 Killed in India Train Wreck

Cyclone Kills 90 in Bangladesh, India

China to Lop Off Tall Buildings in Hangzhou


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne