Angelina Jolie Wants Author’s Plagiarism Lawsuit Against ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’ Dismissed

Angelina Jolie wants a court to dismiss an author claiming she violated the copyright of his book “Slamanje Duse” (“The Soul Shattering”) for her directorial debut “In the Land of Blood and Honey.”

In 2011, Bosnian Croat author James Braddock sued the Hollywood A-lister for allegedly plagiarising his story, which he published in December 2007.

A federal court judge sided with Jolie, though, dismissing Braddock’s claims. The judge said that “Blood and Honey is primarily a story of betrayal, revenge and tragedy with little or no hope, while Slamanje Duse focuses on family, love and strength.”

In March 2014, Braddock tried again. He filed an appeal, claiming that the court did not use a good system in determining the similarities of the two works. His book was apparently not translated properly. He wants the court to take a look at the two works again.

In the documents filed by Jolie’s team, the defendants reasoned out that there are some ideas are fair game.

“As this Court held in Fonda, the ideas in works that deal with subjects such as ‘morality and the effects of war on women’ are not protectable, and indeed, ‘have been the subject of countless works dating back for centuries,” according to the documents obtained by RadarOnline.

“The two works at issue here are just such stories. Accordingly, this Court should summarily affirm the district court’s judgment granting Defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings and bring this matter to a rapid close.”

“In the Land of Blood and Honey” was written, produced and directed by Jolie. It stars Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija, and depicts a love story set in the Bosnian War in the ‘90s.

It has received mixed reviews, and opened in a limited theatrical release in the U.S.