Taiwanese party faces copyright claims over Vogue-style birthday post

A birthday social media post for former Taipei Mayor and potential presidential candidate Ko Wen-je has ignited controversy, with accusations of copyright infringement leveled against the Taiwan People's Party (TPP).

Chen Chih-han, director of the TPP's legislative caucus, posted a stylized image on Facebook celebrating Ko's birthday. The graphic mimicked the cover of Vogue magazine, featuring Chen and Ko, with Ko wearing a new smart bracelet. Chen's caption read, "Happy birthday, Ko P! It's great to have you! Ko Wen-je makes me rediscover my original intention of wearing a watch!"

However, the post quickly drew criticism. Political commentator Chang Yi-shan pointed out the alleged infringement, noting that the TPP has a history of such issues. He specifically mentioned a recent incident where TPP candidate Liu Chin-yu allegedly used copyrighted characters and names from Nintendo's "Pikmin Bloom" mobile game for a promotional event. In that case, the campaign poster was later removed, and the candidate issued a statement clarifying that no related merchandise was sold or given away.

Chang Yi-shan accused the TPP of habitually infringing on intellectual property, even sarcastically remarking that the party's name itself might be borrowed. He claimed that Chen Chih-han had quietly removed the Vogue-style image and replaced it with a modified version that read "TPP STYLE" instead of "VOGUE." Chang stated he had saved screenshots as evidence.

This latest incident adds to a pattern of alleged copyright and plagiarism disputes surrounding the TPP's social media and campaign materials, raising questions about the party's diligence in respecting intellectual property rights.