Why the Jonas Brothers Didn’t Plagiarize Supernatural
Last week, Twitter user @heynutkin posted a Tweet with two images with the caption, “Are you kidding me.”
The first of the images was the cover of the latest Jonas Brothers collection, The Family Business, and the second a promotional image from the TV series Supernatural.
Though @heynutkin didn’t explain exactly what they had an issue with, the answer to that was very plain.
First, the title of the collection, The Family Business, is part of a common refrain from the show, “Saving people, hunting things, the family business.” Second, both images featured three people standing in a triangle formation facing the camera with a desert aesthetic and color pallet.
For some fans of the show, this was simply too close for comfort, with many mocking the Jonas Brothers for the similarities. Others wondered if this was a potential homage to the show.
The case got enough attention that Misha Collins, who played Castel on the show, jumped in and defended The Jonas Brothers with a tweet of his own.
The Jonas Brothers have not responded to the allegations.
All this raises the question, “Is there actual plagiarism here?”
The answer is no, but it’s easy to see why some fans of Supernatural were so unsure.
Why It’s Not Plagiarism
The allegations, as with many cases, come from the combination of multiple similarities. In this case, there are two, the title and the image.
However, neither are particularly strong arguments.
The title, The Family Business, is a fairly common title. In fact, it’s the current title of a very different TV series on BET+. It’s also the name of a beer company, a consulting group and a trade organization, just to name a few.
The reason is that the concept of a family business is a very common one in our culture, and it’s only logical that the Jonas Brothers would tap into it, as they are members of the same family.
It’s a similar story with the image. The concept of three people standing in a triangle is extremely common, as is the color pallet of the two images. When one looks closer at the posing of the two images, differences in their stance become obvious. Likewise, there are also significant differences in the color pallet and background for both photos.
It’s perfectly possible that both elements are just coincidence. This is especially true since both the band and the show started in the same year, meaning that it’s entirely possible they could have a similar style to one another just by being from similar eras.
Even if it were deliberate, nothing that is alleged to have been copied is protectable. Both are simply tropes and have been used by many others, both before these works were created and after. Neither party can claim to have created those elements.
The worst that this could likely be is a deliberate homage, which is what some have taken it for. They see it as a subtle way for the Jonas Brothers to show their love for Supernatural. If that’s the case, it’s definitely very subtle and not something that non-fans of the show would even notice.
Why Some People Saw Plagiarism
When I first read about this case, I thought it was a joke. For some, if not most, it definitely is. This was especially true after Collins was lighthearted in his reply.
However, as with nearly all jokes about plagiarism, some clearly took it very seriously and either sought to defend the Jonas Brothers or poke fun at them.
For those that were or are taking the issue seriously and seeing plagiarism, I’d encourage you to read my article from 2019 about creating a fake plagiarism story.
The point of the article is that we, as humans, are hard-wired to recognize patterns, but we can only create patterns based upon what we know and are familiar. Fans of Supernatural, as they should, are very familiar with both that image and the expression “The family business” and tie both closely with the show.
This makes it easy to see plagiarism when there is none. Tropes and common phrases that are shared among many different works can become connected with one work in particular in our minds, making it easy to see patterns where there aren’t any.
This is perfectly natural, but can become an issue when it’s coupled with one’s desire to defend media they are passionate about.
In short, it’s easy to see what happened, and it can literally happen to anyone. But this is a case definitely best taken as and left as a joke.
Bottom Line
At worst, this case is an homage, a very subtle nod to Supernatural. Most likely, it’s just the band and the people around them pulling from the same tropes and aesthetics as the show.
Simply put, there’s no story here. Though the similarities are comical, they are easily explained without any malfeasance.
However, the case is a reminder that it’s easy to see plagiarism where there is none. If the Jonas Brothers have committed any sin, it’s that the artwork and title are common, with elements that were used by many, many other creators.
In the end, this is likely going to be a comical footnote. Though it’s unclear how much it started a joke, it definitely should end as one. Because, if you have to have an emotion connected with these similarities, it would be better and more appropriate for it to be laughter than anger.
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