Apple Releases New Promo Video, Band Cries Plagiarism

A few days ago Apple released a new promo video titled "Perspective" which aims to send the message that Apple sees things differently. In an ironic twist, band OK Go is claiming that Apple has stolen the concept from their recent music video "The Writing's On The Wall".

The new promo video for Apple uses forced perspective to trick the viewer into seeing a variety of writing coming together as the camera pans across an empty building. While the forced perspective concept is not unique and has been used in a variety of videos before, the circumstances in this case are a tad bit suspect. OK Go says that they approached Apple before making the video hoping for a collaboration which Apple refused.

In June 2014 OK Go released their music video "The Writing's On The Wall" and it went completely viral and even won a Music Video Award for best visual effects. Following the initial talks and the success of the music video, Apple hired the same production company 1stAveMachine to create its new promo video "Perspective" which bears many similarieties.

[Via MacRumors]

Peter House's picture

Peter House is a commercial fashion photographer from Toronto, Canada. He shoots over 10,000 pieces of clothing every year for a variety of lookbooks. Clients range from small local boutiques to international brands such as Target, Winners, and Sears. In addition to that Peter runs one of the most popular rental studio's in the Toronto area.

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23 Comments

I'd say the apple video is different enough & it is a concept. It would be like saying people can't use a time-lapse in their video because someone already has.

Well I would say the same thing, but they did try to collaborate with apple afterwards. So it looks more like apple "borrowed" their idea.

What is copying a concept?
You can copy a video, a writing, a photograph, a car; things like those

Just like Android...

Android and Apple use the same icon based system

It sounds to me like the "concept" came from the production company and used for both clients.

Isn't ironic that Apple claim to do things different using a video that is "similar" to another one?

meh sure its similar, more like refining an idea. People do this all the time, it all comes from somewhere.

Concepts can't be copyrighted... Its like saying people can't take pictures of Apples against sunsets, or can't take photos of water splashes or smoke shapes.

people who keep saying a concept can't be copyrighted forget about the lighting technique that was pattended not to long ago.

so a band want publicity after they released a video where they stole the concept from an ad that came out 2 years ago which I guess stole the concept from another place before that...
Just guessing that this will go nowhere but the band will get some publicity and everyone will be happy. by the way you think they might have invested in a better plate release system

That's exactly what I thought when I saw the original video. "Lovely. 'OK Go' ripping off yet another tired idea and presenting it as original to their struthious audience." Diet Wiegman has been doing this since at least the early 80s. http://dietwiegman.tumblr.com/light%20sculptures

There is definitively a sort of taste of "déjà vu" ...
But has at anytime apple been a company who really create new content ?
For me it's just a company who really know how to surf on the trend.
There is a part of genius in been able to know what will work and what won't, but it's not the same genius to be one of the hundred thousand of whom who tried to create something new ...

Ecclesiastes 1:9: " there is nothing new under the sun."

Ha! It would be at The Nine!

It appears that the production team made a decision that a lot of companies would do. Getting a gig with Apple is a big deal. Apple wanted the same product and dished out the funds for it. I think it's different enough. One thing's for sure, OK GO wont be using the same team again.

They BOTH hired the same production company. No surprise that the videos are similar. Apple most likely said "Hey, we like the work you did for those guys, can you make one of those videos for us?" whats wrong with that? When you go look at someone's portfolio... you say "Hey I like what you did there, do that for me", this is especially true for wedding photography... if you have a few go-to poses or signature "looks" you use and they catch a clients eye, they expect to basically get that exact same picture when they hire you.

Whether the same production company or not, the whole 'needs a certain alignment to make sense' optical illusion has been spinning around for ages. It's not exactly a groundbreaking new idea.

It's not just that the concepts are similar. It's that the band approached Apple before they even made their own video pitching the concept and Apple said no, we're not interested in that. Then after they saw the band's video, this comes out. It's not copying, just a little underhanded. I'd be pissed too.

That fine line when people find out copyright is just a bullshit necesity for these corrupted and vulgar times. I just keep wondering how many things and awesome inventions would exist if the devilish copyright thing didn't exist...

Apple may have done a similar thing, but OK GO definitely did it better!

Have you seen the Cover of Jay Zs Blueprint 3? It uses the same concept and is much older.

Well.... it's probably the production company's idea, not the band's idea anyway (I guess, I could be wrong).

So if I take a photograph for client A using special kind of technique, then used it for client B as well, that doesn't mean client B copied client A lol.