Chiang Wan-an Campaign MV Sparks Copyright Controversy Over Unauthorized Chang Yu-cheng Footage

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an officially released his campaign theme song and its accompanying music video today. Originally intended to project a youthful and energetic image for the upcoming mayoral election, the campaign ran into a licensing controversy after featuring footage of baseball player Chang Yu-cheng from international competitions. Chang is a star player in the Chinese Professional Baseball League and frequently represents the national team in international tournaments, possessing significant public recognition and brand value. Editing his game footage into a political promotional video without the consent of the player himself or his team violates copyright and portrait rights regulations governing image usage, instantly sparking discussion on social media.

Upon receiving the criticism, Chiang's campaign team issued a statement the same day expressing deep apologies for the distress caused by the unauthorized use of Chang's footage. The campaign stated that it had immediately "adjusted the relevant footage" and completely removed all shots involving the player. This action demonstrated a swift response to the crisis, but it also exposed a lack of vetting mechanisms in the production of political promotional materials. In past elections, similar cases of unauthorized image or music usage were frequent, often exposed during peak election periods and causing short-term negative impacts on candidates' images.

From a systemic perspective, Taiwan's copyright law and protection of portrait rights are quite mature, requiring any commercial or political use to obtain the rights holder's consent, or else face civil damages or administrative penalties. Political parties and candidates typically commission professional lawyers or copyright consultants to review advertisements and videos during production to ensure third-party rights are not infringed. Chiang's misstep may be related to his campaign team rushing to finalize visual effects under time pressure, serving as a reminder to other political forces that legal bottom lines cannot be ignored in the pursuit of visual impact.

On the other hand, Chang Yu-cheng's image holds significant weight in Taiwan's sports community.