London, Aug 13 (IANS): Indian-origin British artist Anish Kapoor has decided to take the legal route against Chinese authorities for "copying" his world-famous "Cloud Gate" sculpture in the US, BBC reported on Thursday.

Kapoor has accused the Chinese authorities of "blatant plagiarism" of the sculpture which is installed in Chicago, Illinois.

The disputed sculpture is set to be unveiled in Karamay city in China later this month.

"It seems in China today it is permissible to steal the creativity of others. I feel I must take this to the highest level and pursue those responsible in the courts," the report quoted Kapoor as saying.

"The Chinese authorities must act to stop this kind of infringement and allow the full enforcement of copyright," he added.

Meanwhile, an official from Karamay's tourism bureau said any similarity was a coincidence, arguing that the Chicago sculpture "has a bean shape" and theirs "looks like an oil bubble".

"You cannot say we are not allowed to build a round sculpture because there already is a round one," the official said.

Kapoor's Cloud Gate is a huge tourist attraction. The sculpture was installed at Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois in 2006.

The sculpture, which reflects Chicago's dramatic skyline, is known as The Bean.

It featured prominently in "Source Code", a 2011 thriller starring actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

The structure is made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together and its highly-polished exterior has no visible seams.

Under construction since 2013, China's stainless steel sculpture is surrounded by smaller reflective bubbles.