Mrs Taylor Bradford said that she had been dismayed when she found that Sahara TV, one of the largest networks in India, was planning a huge series allegedly plagiarising A Woman of Substance and the two other books which form the trilogy.

She told a news conference in London yesterday that the terms “infringement of copyright” and “piracy” were legal descriptions of the action taken by Sahara TV.

Mrs Taylor Bradford, who was born in Leeds, said: “Where I come from in the North of England they have got a much simpler word applied to this called ‘stealing’ . . . they are stealing my ideas, my imagination, my hard work and ability as a writer.”

Her lawyers obtained an injunction against Sahara TV on May 7 in Calcutta High Court.It was lifted by the Appeal Court in Calcutta on Monday but reinstated after an appeal at the Indian Supreme Court on Monday night.

Mrs Taylor Bradford said that Sahara broadcast the first episode last night in spite of the action by the Indian Supreme Court, putting the company in contempt of court.

She and her husband, Robert, have alleged that the network “blatantly” reproduced A Woman of Substance for the series, which is entitled Karishma — Miracles of Destiny. It is understood that 260 episodes are planned to run in half-hour slots four times a week.

Mr Bradford said that 100 of the slots were already “in the can” and the producers had spent up to £37 million on the series, making it the biggest in India. Mrs Taylor Bradford has not received any money for the series.

Mr Bradford, who makes mini-series of his wife’s books for American television networks, said that a four to six-hour mini-series from an author such as his wife would never fetch less than $1 million (£625,000) for the rights, plus a percentage payment.

Mrs Taylor Bradford, who has been based in New York since marrying her American husband in 1963, said she was concerned for her future novels. She said that her 19th novel, Emma’s Secret, will be published in July.

“The reason I am disturbed is because of my future works,” she said. “They can take anything if they take these three books and that is why we have taken the actions that we have.”

She said that she had been alarmed and dismayed when she was informed about the alleged plagiarism.

“It was not anger in the sense of being furious. It was a kind of horrible dismay that somebody had been arrogant enough to take something that belonged to me,” she said.

A Woman of Substance was first published in 1979 and ranks as one of the top ten bestselling novels.

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