Yes, really. The Indian researchers were forced to withdraw their study because critics pointed out the "similarities" equally applied to many other bacteria and viruses. Saying that having some common genetic code means that one was derived from the other is ridiculous. It would be like accusing JK Rowling of plagiarizing JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Ring series because her Harry Potter novels also featured "magic", and "dragons", and "goblins" just like Tolkien's novels do, when in reality those archetypes appear in just about every fantasy novel.

And it's the same story with Dr. Montagnier. His claim doesn't have a solid scientific foundation; it's just his conjecture.