I have my own personal internet plagiarist!

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/24/07 at 12:12pm

I also post on the website TelevisionWithoutPity.com (on there my 'name' is Anakela21, as Anakela was already taken), as well as a bunch of other places, and so earlier today I was googling myself to find something I had posted on TWoP a while ago, (yes, seriously), and I discovered someone taking my TWoP post, and passing it off as his/her own words on another website.

I feel so loved! I mean, if I was going to claim credit for something I hadn't written I would claim the good fanfic out there or something, you know? Who does a copy/paste of someone's post on TWoP and tries to pass it off as his/her own?? That's just lame and sad.

But not sad enough to stop me from writing about it and mocking you. :)

Me and the plagiarist, a side by side comparison

[tazber]

Posted: 5/24/07 at 12:16pm

Wow, you totaly busted me. I jest, but really how weak is that?
Didn't other posters recognize the post?

You are right though, lame to be sure.

[jenna2]

Posted: 5/24/07 at 12:16pm

That's insane! Who does that?

(Hilarious list, btw. I would totally claim that as my own... I mean, uh...)

[StageManager2]

Posted: 5/24/07 at 12:21pm

Perhaps the old adage applies: "Great minds think alike."

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/24/07 at 12:21pm

I know, right- I mean, I know everything online is fair game and it's not like just because you wrote something you have a copyright on it or anything, but dude at least switch up the order when you copy/paste a list.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 5/24/07 at 1:38pm

SUPER lame, but as they say, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Of course, this isn't imitation so much as outright theft, but still...

[Jilani]

Posted: 5/24/07 at 1:50pm

it's not like just because you wrote something you have a copyright on it or anything

Actually, it IS like that. The moment you fix a creative work of authorship in a tangible medium of expression (which includes posting original thoughts on a website), you have a copyright on that work. The problem with the internet is that it's very difficult to enforce/police the copyright, but it still exists.

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/24/07 at 2:02pm

The problem with the internet is that it's very difficult to enforce/police the copyright, but it still exists.

Really? I always thought that was the problem- that it (it= copyright on what a person writes online) didn't exist, because like copyright laws weren't keeping up/changing as fast as to keep up with progress, to include the internet? Or something like that. Interesting- good to know, thanks.

[Jilani]

Posted: 5/24/07 at 2:06pm

The issue is that the internet is like the Wild West of copyright - there's just no way to keep track of all the violations, and it's also difficult to sue entities whose servers are entirely outside a particular country's jurisdiction.

Oh, and another thing to look out for is the terms of service of the website you are posting on - they might include language that says anything you post automatically becomes their property, in which case you would be relinquishing your copyright to anything you post on that site.