Micro-movie ‘The Last 7 Days of My Sister’ sparks copyright dispute

The micro-movie ‘The Last 7 Days of My Sister’ has gained massive popularity on Douyin, accumulating over 4.34 million likes and 1.07 million reposts within two days. However, the film’s creator, Ze Ren, has raised concerns regarding copyright infringement after discovering the work was reposted without authorization by the prominent Weibo influencer Xi Mai Xi Mai, who has over 12.4 million followers.

Ze Ren, who spent over 100 days editing the mockumentary alone, sought public assistance after the unauthorized version trended on social media. In response to the backlash, Xi Mai Xi Mai issued an apology on Weibo, attributing the incident to an operational oversight where staff reposted content without proper licensing. The influencer noted that the unauthorized video had generated 5.19 yuan in revenue before being deleted.

While Ze Ren expressed gratitude to netizens for their support and stated she would accept the apology without compensation if no profit was made, many internet users have criticized the influencer’s response as insincere, citing a lack of proactive compensation and perceived dismissiveness toward the original creator’s labor.