Plagiarism. . Of A Sort

[marie b.]

Before I start, I should probably mention that the issue that this stemmed from has been resolved.

 

. .

 

While surfing BlogExplosion, I came across a post that was almost verbatim to one I'd written a day earlier.

 

I commented on the post and let the woman know that I was aware of what she'd done - except it turns out that she hadn't done anything (knowingly, at least).

 

A friend of hers had copied my post straight from my blog and emailed it to her. The blogger thought that it was a funny forward, edited it slightly (for expletives and such, I imagine) and posted it as her own.

 

Now, I'm angry at both the emailer and the blogger. Those were my words, and I don't appreciate having someone put a slight twist on them and pass them off as their own. However, she apologized so it's done.

 

My question is : am I alone in thinking that this is a serious case of plagiarism or outright property theft?

 

Would you take less action than a simple comment - ie, ignore it - or would you take more action ; if so, what would you do?

[Deverill]

What can you do other than what you did? Legal action? Kinda expensive and possibly inconclusive for a story/joke/whatever you posted wouldn't you think? How many times have you or I told a joke we heard from someone else without any thought to copyrights or ownership? If you see something on a website that your friend would like, don't you copy it and send it? If that friend is expletive-sensitive then wouldn't you edit it slightly?

 

I'm not picking on you - they were wrong to post it - but courts would be useless in this case and there are really no other legal alternatives. Spam-bombing may seem like a fitting punishment but it's not legal, for instance.

 

This is one of the problems with the information age.

[marie b.]

Oh, I'm nowhere near thinking about legal action. That's just silly over a post on a blog.

 

However, I wouldn't copy someone else's words and send them on either. I suppose I see that as not having manners, or regards for intellectual property.

 

I can see why she edited the expletives out, but the expletives weren't the bulk of the post. The main idea was readable, even after deleting the expletives altogether. I mean, she even had whole sentences and phrases that I'd used - even the layout was the same.

 

I was wondering if anyone else would get so angry over something like this. My first thought was "It's a blog. Whatever." but then I realized that those are my words and my thoughts.

[abinidi]

Marie,

 

I don't know if it is helpful, but it is flattering, isn't it? I mean, something that you said resonated with somebody so much that they wanted to share it with somebody that is important to them. Your message also resonated with that person enought that they wanted to share it with others.

 

It reminds me of Peter Wiggin, a character in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Peter is beginning his quest to take over the word, and he is explaining to his sister, Valentine, the potential power of their words. Peter realizes that if he can disseminate his ideas so completley that they become common ideas---ideas that common people think are their own---then he will have gained great power.

 

I think you are justifiably upset about this issue, and I'm not saying that you SHOULDN'T be upset, but in a way, it is kind of flattering. I thought that thinking of it in that way might help.

 

My 2 cents (don't know if it was even worth that!!)

Edited May 24, 2005 by abinidi

[marie b.]

It would be flattering, yes, if I'd been given credit or had even been informed of it.

 

Instead, I had to stumble across it. I think my jaw smacked into the keyboard tray, it fell so fast.

 

The funny thing is that it's a stupid post that I wrote about something completely mundane - a strange product.

 

That's one of the reasons why I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but I'd be less angry and more upset if it had been a post about my family or something, I suppose.

 

I just can't believe that someone would steal someone else's words -- verbatim -- at all. What stopped them from saying "I saw a funny post about XYZ. Here's the link to the product, I'm sure you can write something" instead of stealing my words, yanno?

[TCH-Rick]

I think yuo handled this well. Hopefully the person learned something as well. The ease of copying and pasting such posts has increased the problem but it is certainly not new.

 

I'm reminded of a story one of my professors once told. This professor was a well-known and published preacher. One summer he and his wife were on vacation and decided to go to a little church near the campground they were staying at.

 

As the service started he thought it was interesting that the sermon title was the same as one he had published. As the preacher started the sermon it was pretty much word-for-word right out of the book.

 

After the service, the professor waited until everyone else had left, shook hands with the preacher and commented, "I enjoyed the sermon."

 

The preacher replied with a "Thank you" or something similar.

 

The professor then replied, "Of course I enjoyed it when I wrote it three years ago." and then left. He doubted that the young man would be so quick to use a published sermon again.

[marie b.]

Ha! I should've said something like that to her. Classic.

 

I've been thinking about the issue more and more, and I'm angrier now than I was before.

 

She claimed that she always links to whomever she quotes from, and I would assume that that also means that she mentions if she received something as an email or not.

 

Instead, there was no mention of her post being a forwarded email written by someone else.

 

She passed the whole thing off as hers and accepted the praise for her wit (Pfft.), and was obviously trying to cover her back when she was called on it. She probably hoped that I would never see it.

 

Edited May 24, 2005 by marie b.

[D. J.]

Hi Marie,

 

It would be flattering, yes, if I'd been given credit or had even been informed of it.

Hoo boy! As an author, I've been in this conversation more times than I care to remember.

 

But your words above are the crux of it, aren't they? Giving credit where it's due. I am constantly finding pearls of wisdom online, and I often copy and send them on to people. BUT! I always make sure they know I didn't write that. Even when I neglect to get the real author's name (and I do sometimes) I mention the site where I read the quote in question.

 

As to what more you should do, I agree with everyone here. You've done all you reasonably can. Making a bigger deal of it will serve no purpose now. Let's hope both the forwarder and the paster/poster have learned a valuable lesson. Most times, in cases like this people aren't trrying to be malicious. They're just not thinking. Blame it on our treasured web anonymity.

 

Rick,

 

The professor then replied, "Of course I enjoyed it when I wrote it three years ago." and then left.

 

Now, see. I've used that line myself! And here I thought it was an original

[marie b.]

Thanks.

 

I do feel now, though, that I need to censor what I write or something, so that it's not stolen and passed off as someone else's words.

 

I write about some pretty sensitive topics and I'd hate to see it splashed everywhere, whether credit was given or not.

 

My pages are protected by a Creative Commons license, and have been since years ago, but that doesn't seem to matter to people.

 

It's very disappointing.

[jwbowden]

Thanks. 

 

I do feel now, though, that I need to censor what I write or something, so that it's not stolen and passed off as someone else's words.

 

I write about some pretty sensitive topics and I'd hate to see it splashed everywhere, whether credit was given or not.

 

My pages are protected by a Creative Commons license, and have been since years ago, but that doesn't seem to matter to people.

 

It's very disappointing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The internet world is like the "real" world -- some follow all the rules, some think the rules are made for everyone else, some learn the rules from their friends who don't know the rules, and some are just ignorant of the rules. On the internet there are some who have lots of experience and would always take care to give credit to the author of the information they're using; there are some who don't think for a moment that they need to worry about it because that's how they treat everything - these are the folks who, IMHO, are most likely to be found downloading (stealing) music and software; and there are many others (more showing up each day) that are new to this stuff and don't have a clue about much of anything.

 

As for splashing sensitive talk all over the internet, well -- if you don't want something to end up on the editorial page of the NY Times then don't say it, don't write it, don't send it! Simple eh?!

 

I feel for ya, but all I can say is that you've evidently handled it as best you can.

[Dumplin]

It would be flattering, yes, if I'd been given credit or had even been informed of it.

 

Instead, I had to stumble across it. I think my jaw smacked into the keyboard tray, it fell so fast.

 

The funny thing is that it's a stupid post that I wrote about something completely mundane - a strange product.

 

That's one of the reasons why I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but I'd be less angry and more upset if it had been a post about my family or something, I suppose.

 

I just can't believe that someone would steal someone else's words -- verbatim -- at all. What stopped them from saying "I saw a funny post about XYZ. Here's the link to the product, I'm sure you can write something" instead of stealing my words, yanno?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I am a newsgroup junkie and come across what I find interesting stuff and will copy and paste it into a post but I always post the link as well. I would suggest, if you don't have one already to add a disclamer or TOS thingy about giving credit were credit is do as to using, copying or posting anything from your blog.

[marie b.]

As for splashing sensitive talk all over the internet, well -- if you don't want something to end up on the editorial page of the NY Times then don't say it, don't write it, don't send it! Simple eh?!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

But if that were true, I could take anything published online and take it for my own. As it is, I don't and I don't think it should be done to me.

 

It's simple manners and etiquette to know not to take someone else's work just because it's there.

 

I would suggest, if you don't have one already to add a disclamer or TOS thingy about giving credit were credit is do as to using, copying or posting anything from your blog.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I have a Creative Commons license which allows distribution of what I write -- which I suppose encompasses copying and pasting into an email -- as long as credit is given and there's no alterations made.

 

I suppose I'll have to write out a disclaimer, too, although I'd always hoped that I'd never need one.

 

I suppose I was just naive in thinking that people wouldn't be so disrespectful.

[abinidi]

I think that if the person who stole your content ignored your creative commons license, then it is likely that she/he would ignore a disclaimer on the site that said that the work requires attribution.

 

Unfortunately, I think you are out of luck here. It stinks, but I guess it may be similar to how the recording artists feel when their work is downloaded without compensation.

 

I guess if you were to be really vindictive, if you could figure out the IP address of the person who stole your content, you could ban them from your site, but in the end, it is probably an uphill battle.

 

You win some, you lose some. I guess that is the inherent risk we all face when we post online.

 

I do feel sorry for you, though, for what that's worth.

[jwbowden]

My advice (FWIW!) - let it go.

[marie b.]

I have let it go, for the most part - I was thinking of emailing her, but decided that it'd be pointless in the long run.

 

However, I'm just angry that I feel the need to censor myself over something that shouldn't have been done in the first place.

Edited May 25, 2005 by marie b.

[wampthing]

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."

-Albert Einstein

 

"Things are seldom what they seem. Skim milk masquerades as cream"

-Gilbert and Sullivan, H.M.S Pinafore

[wampthing]

"Remember who you are, and what your made of"

- Mom