Freelance designer Juan Luis Garcia wrote an open letter to director Spike Lee, claiming that the final posters for the new film Oldboy were stolen from him without credit or his consent. Garcia asked Lee for his help, but Lee responded on Twitter, claiming that he never dealt with Garcia and that it was a “cheap trick” writing to him.

Garcia had originally published his open letter on his website, but it no longer exists, now that the issue has drawn attention. According to Business Insider, Garcia had written about how he was excited to be approached to work on a poster for a new project from one of his favorite directors. He knew he wasn’t going to be paid much, but he put two months of hard work into it.

Then, Garcia recalled how excited he was to hear that Lee liked one of his designs. However, he had to decline the opportunity when he heard that the ad agency was going to pay him less than a small photography job.

“I need you to know the truth. Some of the posters you are using were stolen from me. I tried my hardest to resolve this amicably but the agency just blatantly refused,” Garcia wrote. He decided to just move on and forget about it, but then he saw that the official poster design carried elements of his. Then, two new posters popped up on Lee’s company Facebook page without credit. At this point, he decided to write the letter, rather than sue.

Lee eventually responded on Twitter, writing, “I Never Heard Of This Guy Juan Luis Garcia,If He Has A Beef It's Not With Me.I Did Not Hire Him,Do Not Know Him.Cheap Trick Writing To Me.YO.”

Garcia then sent an email to The Hollywood Reporter, stating that he never named the ad agency because Lee does know who he’s writing about. He still doesn’t want to sue, “but if that's what it comes down to, so be it...I'm thrilled he liked the posters and hope they continue using them, but I need to be renumerated.”

Olbdoy, a remake of the 2003 South Korean classic, is not faring so well at the box office. It’s only expected to make $2 million over its five-day debut.

image: Wikimedia Commons