Spike Lee has responded to claims from a designer that his posters for his latest film 'Oldboy' were ripped off without his permission.

[Read what the angry designer wrote in his letter to the director]

Graphic artist Juan Luis Garcia's open letter to Lee has gone viral, after it was claimed an agency took his designs, offered him a derisory sum to use them to promote the movie, and after he refused, used a strikingly similar design.





Garcia pleaded with Lee to intervene in the row, but it seems that the pleas have fallen on deaf ears.



Lee took to Twitter to write:









I Never Heard Of This Guy Juan Luis Garcia,If He Has A Beef It's Not With Me.I Did Not Hire Him,Do Not Know Him.Cheap Trick Writing To Me.YO — Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) November 28, 2013





He was then widely criticised for what many thought was a harsh response.





[Four new posters unveiled for Spike Lee's Oldboy]



Later, when another fan dropped him the message 'Dude, pay the graphic artist' on his Instagram page, Lee replied with equal harshness, saying:



“Why Should I Pay Someone Who I Never Met Nor Had Any Contact With Ever? He Never Made Any Deal With Me. Why Don’t You Pay Me For Your Stupid Text On Thanksgiving Day?”







Lee's version of the cult hit by South Korean director Park Chan-wook is out on December 6.