The hit film ‘Once We Were Us’ has been swept up in allegations that a key house model and the real-life building featured in the movie were used without the original architect’s permission.
According to architect A, who runs an architectural firm and designed the actual house, the issue came to light while watching the film. In the movie, the female lead Jungwon (played by Moon Ga Young) dreams of becoming an architect and is shown creating a detailed house model. A claims the model’s design and proportions closely match a house he personally designed.
The controversy extends beyond the model. The real house that appears toward the end of the film is located in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, and was completed in May 2020. A confirmed that he was the architect behind the project.
A stated, “As an architect, I felt proud that the homeowner allowed the property to be used as a filming location. However, portraying the building as a result of the protagonist’s own design and development process constitutes a clear violation of secondary copyright as stipulated in the standard architectural design contract.”
He further asserted that he was never contacted prior to the film’s release and that his name and firm were not credited in the end credits. Instead, the credits listed a university architecture professor and multiple individuals under “architectural model and panel,” which he argues could mislead viewers into believing the structure was their creation.
A also revealed that he sent two certified letters to the production company using publicly available addresses, but both were returned undelivered. He said he decided to bring the matter to public attention to protect creators’ rights.
In response, the production company acknowledged receiving permission from the building owner at the time of filming and admitted they had not fully considered potential architectural design copyright issues. The company expressed regret that prior consultation had not been sufficiently conducted.
However, regarding the allegation of secondary copyright infringement, the production company maintained a cautious stance. It stated that while the model in the film may evoke the real house, it is not identical and was intended as an artistic prop for narrative purposes. The company added that it is currently reviewing the legal aspects of the claim and aims to resolve the issue amicably.
The dispute has sparked broader discussion about intellectual property awareness within the film industry, particularly in cases where real-world architectural works become central narrative elements on screen.
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