TV series cause tension between Turkish and Azerbaijan producers

One of Turkey’s most popular TV series, "Çocuklar Duymasın" (Children Shall Not Hear), caused tension between its Turkish production company and Azerbaijan.

MinT (Made in Turkey), which holds the copyrights to the TV series, is set to sue the Azerbaijani TV channel Xazar for copyright infringement.

According to information provided by the production company, TV series aired under the title "Aramızda Kalsın" (Between You and Me) in Azerbaijan is essentially a remake of "Çocuklar Duymasın." Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, screenwriter, producer and the owner of MinT Production, Birol Güven said the Azerbaijani company had made an exact copy of his series.

"We have to start a legal process. This initiative is very important for the development of our sector. While preparing a TV series, we think of foreign markets; relations should have  legal grounds. The problem of copyrights is the same all around the world. We want to be a model for it."

In recent years, Turkey has made great progress in the TV series sector as well as in the cinema sector. While cinema films and young directors return to the country with international awards, Turkish TV series have become popular in the Middle East and the Turkic republics.

Speaking about the increasing interest in recent years, Güven said the TV and film sector has drawn much more attention in parallel with Turkey’s increasing impact in the region. "I think Prime Minister Erdoğan has his own interests here. Turkey has become a model among the countries in the region and it is normal that this is also seen in the TV sector," he said.

He said big steps have been taken over the last 10 years, especially in the TV series and advertisement sectors, and successful products were being presented to viewers.


The TV series "Çocuklar Duymasın," which began to be aired on Turkish televisions in 2001, broke ratings records through 2005. After a six-year break, the series came back with new episodes in August, drawing the same big interest from viewers.

The sit-com style series is a warm family story. Güven said the Azerbaijani version of the series was exactly the same. "The fact that a scenario that made me very excited in the past is being acted out again by the artists of another country with the same excitement makes me feel excited again but sorry at the same time. I wish I could be a part of this process. I would like to send our art director and technical director there. I would also like to help the establishment of the decor."

When asked what he thought about the interest in the series, he said: "Because it is a series that has parallels with life, we think that it has a positive impact on society. It also has educational sides."

Even though the current Turkish series is thought of as a repeat of its first version, many things have changed over the seven-year gap, Güven said. "We did not make the continuation of the series but a new one. Our child actors grew up, the adults got older. We have carried small problems in life to television with a new interpretation."


/Hurriyet Daily News/