Why not name those who plagiarize?
Ranked #16,015 in Business & Work, #332,586 overall
Well, time for another controversial lens Seth . . .
I've been checking my work via google and copyscape . . only to find it copied 100% by people and actual businesses that sell the items I am showcasing (and have spent hours researching), or that use my work and attach it to their questionable product.
Even on Squidoo, some folks feel indebted to others or those higher up in rank who do this (perhaps not realizing that those granting you some extra Squid points are actually stealing your ideas). Yeah, check out their work . . I'll bet you'll soon see it isn't quite as well researched as your own. Oh . . but they are SOOOO nice to you, right?
'Yah, I said it . . I said it!' ~ Chris Rock quote.
So what do we do?
We are nice, email them and ask them to 'undo' the copying. Well, I've done that and no one ever responds to me. I see later that this crime (yes crime, since it IS stealing) is ignored or their link is 'forbidden' or moved. Does this person or business just continue on, unscathed with no price to pay?
Well, I've decided that authentic, original writers have RIGHTS.
Why can't we name those who steal our work 'word-for-word?' No, I'm not talking about facts (which comprise about 20 - 30 % of my work). I mean the scrapers who copy and paste - stealing 100% of your work (in mere seconds) and package it as their own.
[Image by no3rdw on flickr / Licensed under Creative Commons : http://www.flickr.com/photos/no3rdw/3664187720/sizes/o/in/photostream/]
This was created on January 23rd, 2012. All rights reserved. Copyright 2012 sousababy
Do not 'tag' the work of others. Protected by CopyGator. Do not copy, steal or plagiarize.
Plagiarism is defined . . .
My opinion?
If someone has the nerve to copy and paste your work,
You have the right to name them publicly.
I felt sorry for Jerry, at least he offered to pay $50!
But if someone refuses, then that is their right, isn't it? What do you think?
Signs in Canada used to state there was a '$2000 Fine.'
I remember when . . .
the anti-smoking laws came into effect (in Canada). There was a fine of $2000 posted on the signs.
After much upset and anger,
the signs softened and the fine part was removed.
As a non-smoking waitress in my 20's, I was forced to work in the smoking section (which really was the entire restaurant by the end of the night). I remember seeing a commercial about second-hand smoke killing a waitress that never smoked.
Makes you think about what's fair.
“I recall lying to people as a waitress, telling them:
Oh, it doesn't bother me . . it's a law now.”
People in restaurants used to scoff at this kind of message and light up anyways.
From the brilliant mind of the late George Carlin:
.jpg "Photo by: Bonnie from Kendall Park, NJ, USA (2008) / Licensed under: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license")
"I have a suggestion that I think would help fight serious crime. Signs. There are lots of signs for minor infractions: No Smoking, Stay Off the Grass, Keep Out, and they seem to work fairly well.I think we should also have signs for major crimes: Murder Strictly Prohibited, NO Raping People, Thank You for Not Kidnapping Anyone.
It's certainly worth a try.
I'm convinced Watergate would never have happened if there had just been a sign in the Oval Office that said, Malfeasance of Office Is Strictly Against the Law, or Thank You for Not Undermining the Constitution."
[Photo credit: Bonnie from Kendall Park, NJ, USA (April 4th, 2008) / Licensed under: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic] George Carlin (May 12, 1937 - June 22, 2008)
Be sure to check out the sources . . .
For example, GoodVeg has rightfully copied part of my articles (but they also email and let me know of my feature). Other legitimate places might post your work (but it should always state YOU as the author and link back to you). If you submit your link on a plexo or via your tags, it will also come up (but again, it always connects, or should connect, back to your page).
It's the ones that have plagiarized your work with NO CREDIT and that DO NOT link back to your page that are stealing.
Do you feel that those who plagiarize 100% . . .
(not HTML allowing, no thumbnail photo shown, anyone can comment):
Please note: There is a guestbook that follows for those who need a third 'other' option.
Should they be outed publicly? Can we publish their names?
Yes, I'd like to state who has copied my work 100%:
sousababy says:
Dear Ladymermaid,
Indeed, it IS taking money, time and effort away from you. Thing is, somewhere there is a record of who wrote the content first. I just can't understand why this is 'so hard to prove.' I think the key thing is . . it takes unpaid time away from honest folks to not only write and research original work - but now we must also spend valuable time looking for the crooks? And try to stop it? I've spent whole days just checking who has copied my work. This needs to have some lucrative policing - at the cost of the thieves, imo.
Thank you for contributing,
Rose
Ladymermaid says:
I wish the internet could be as regulated as hard copy. Gosh if you just wrote out the text from a book and sold it you would be in deep caca but on the internet our work is constantly stolen and it is just not right. It hurts.
Pastiche says:
I could publish volumes on my opinion about this topic. Think coloring page artist ... and you'll understand my frustrations.
sousababy says:
Dear gypsyman27,
Squidoo knows who created the content first. Because a 'style' is difficult to prove, I agree - I am referring to those who 'copy & paste' = 100% plagiarized. In my searches, I have seen my work copied word-for-word (not modified at all). I've had a business use my exact intro wording to sell a product. There has to be record elsewhere online (like Squidoo) of who created the content first. And, you are right - the burden of proof is on the victim, unfortunately. Which is why it needs to become lucrative to police this, imho. There needs to be some price to pay by those who commit this act of stealing someone else's work. If I and others 'leave it alone' - it will just continue. In fact, I've deleted lenses (that would benefit others) since I dread to think of the thieves who will use my work.
I appreciate your honesty and candor. You've highlighted what IS wrong with the system currently.
Take good care,
Rose
flinnie says:
I am always looking for ideal for lens and I find plenty in books,magazines,online but,if I use something I always give credit.Have never done a copy and past.Now that is bad.
Papier says:
Certainly! Without fear of public conviction or humiliation, some people have no moral fibers, no ethics filters on their actions. Call them out, I say.
sousababy says:
A Masters student simply referenced 25 academic journals, cut & pasted whole articles from them = evidence of research capability? My 7 year old daughter can take out books from the library and do the same thing.
I fail to see how 100% copied material is anything less than stealing? I do 'get' that copying is some 'form of flattery' - however, when in business or online we need to put the credit for the idea (& the work) squarely back with the original author (I feel).
When money is involved, I suppose ethics (or simple kindergarten rules like 'don't steal') goes out the window. When money means more than lives (and the rights of others) is my explanation for many of our societal problems.
Somehow, we need to make it lucrative to get this policed . .
Thank you for such thoughtful commentary, I really appreciate your contribution.
Take good care,
Rose
reasonablerobinson says:
I work as an academic in Higher Education where plagiarism is a frequent issue. Sometimes it innocent and other times it a deceitful attempt to benefit from the hard work of others. We also find that some cultures with an unduly reverential attitudes to teachers that 'copying' is rationalised as a mark of respect to the more knowledgeable person.
We make use of a software tool called Turnitin which 'crawls' electronic submissions checking for plagiarism. Wouldnt i be great if a tool like this was available on the internet for article and blog authors! Simply identify the plagiarist, scan the offending work and then name and shame.
It is a tricky area though where deciding what is flagrant abuse and stealing and what is poorly referenced is sometimes challenging. Just as an aside I recently had a Masters student who had skillfully identified 25 academic journal articles and cut and pasted a whole essay from them. They justified it as evidence of research capability!
MaxReily says:
I haven't found any instances of this with my work, but if I did, I'd think the culprit should be identified.
dellgirl says:
Yes. Period!!!!! (Well...exclamation points)
No, here's why:
Deadicated says:
I guess I come from The Grateful Dead school of thought "They once said when we're done with it you can have it!"; I just don't have that type of energy to micromanage everything. I had someone in the UK rip-off some of my artwork and sell t-shirts with my images on it. In a way it's said to be the greatest form of flattery. It would cost quite a bit of money to legally go after someone doing that; that said, I don't think it's right but I trust in Karma (it will come back to them, we just don't always get to see it, too bad).
gypsyman27 says:
The burden of proof would fall on the victim, so it's best to leave it alone. You could be sued for libel, if you didn't prove your charges. I saw a lens where my general style and even a photo I used was copied and since I modified a public domain photo it was my work technically. I didn't say anything and it went away. Apparently copying a style of writing is a lot more difficult than you might think. Anyway that's my view, dear friend. I'm sure there are those that would disagree. See you around the galaxy...
kathysart says:
Humm I don't know. Some that I have found using my artwork, most of the time don't really get it. I try to educate them. I try to use only my own art and give credit to art or photos that belong to someone else. I have seen my articles and poems posted on other sites but "most" of the time they have given me credit. I have approached some who have not and almost always they apologize and I can tell they meant no harm really.... they are just doo doos.
The above two options were too limiting . . .
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SereneSea May 9, 2012 @ 12:29 am | delete
- I haven't yet spent time in Squidoo to find who is plagiarizing my work, I am afraid of the consequences. But I have found my Ezine articles copied word to word on blogs which do not have a backward link or credit. As Kim pointed out, pursuing and getting frustrated will take you no-where, it drains you out. However; I would love to see a stronger, safer and better Internet system.
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sousababy
May 9, 2012 @ 10:03 am | delete
- Yes, I actually believe Google has made great strides to find UUU content. I put more stock in higher Google +1 ratings than FB and especially moreso than twitter (right now). I think it IS getting better . . .
Thank you so much for offering up your honest opinions, means a great deal to me.
Sincerely,
Rose
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KimGiancaterino Mar 11, 2012 @ 4:14 pm | delete
- I've been plagiarized plenty of times -- right here on Squidoo in fact. I'd love to out one lensmaster in particular, but it's not worth it. Nevertheless, it bugs me to see that person's lenses occupying multiple positions in Tier 1.
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sousababy
Mar 11, 2012 @ 9:45 pm | delete
- Dear KimGiancaterino,
Yes, I know exactly how you feel. Imagine how surprised I was at the two lensmasters' names that came up when I entered the URL of my rebuilt lens 'Doing It Anyway / Bullies at Work' lens on Copyscape.
In face, one of them has over 400 lenses, is at level 80 and has been on Squidoo since 2006! (Oh, and I believe this person is also a Squid Angel).
But I guess I cannot name them . . I just won't put him or her in any of my 'good heart' series of lenses, nor acknowledge their 'blessings' in my devoted section at the end of my pages (before my 'About the Author' section).
Funny, the nerve some people have, eh?
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sousababy
Mar 11, 2012 @ 9:48 pm | delete
- Oops spelling error 'In face' should read In fact - bad eyesight, sorry folks!
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gypsyman27
Mar 4, 2012 @ 5:53 pm | delete
- I have a so-called 'friend' that uses my life stories for his own. Now there's something that is truly disconcerting. Somebody using your past accomplishments as their own. At least make up something, don't live vicariously through me, for God's sake. I don't know love, people have a lot of nerve and you need a lot of energy to fight them. See you around the galaxy...
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sousababy
Mar 4, 2012 @ 6:01 pm | delete
- Yes, I just don't understand why this is SOOO difficult to prove when there must be a record somewhere of who created the content first. People will stop at nothing if they feel it will put money in their pocket. It just takes too much energy to fight them, I agree. Thank you for contributing once again to my work,
Rose
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flinnie
Mar 3, 2012 @ 10:58 pm | delete
- Hi sorry this happen to you,God bless.
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Papier Mar 3, 2012 @ 12:32 pm | delete
- This reminds me of the case where I bought a camera kit online, through ebay, with a $250 5-yr warranty, and when the time came to use the warranty the company had skedaddled! I think this copying amounts to violation of the law, and at least Squidoo should have a link for reporting the perpetrators.
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kathysart
Feb 29, 2012 @ 9:11 pm | delete
- This is a GREAT subject and one I have run into many times with my art, articles and poetry. A lot of the time though people do give me credit and I think that makes up for the doo doos that don't. It is hard to control online I think. I wrote an article about the whole problem a few years ago. A woman was clearly stealing an image from a friend of mine and I told her in no uncertain terms why she was wrong in doing so. She honestly had no clue! Well now she does and actually sends me updates of what she is up to. One day at a time.. creating as we go, no one can take my talent, that is what I have always felt. When I had my souvenir pottery business it was the norm each gift show that whatever you created the year before was copied. It kept me on my toes and I worked hard to continually create something new each season. Happy today Rose.
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From my lens, 'Why or what does this mean?'
Matthew S. McGlone (PhD Princeton University) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He has published scholarly articles on euphemism, doublespeak, and contextomy. He has taught courses on persuasion, propaganda and psychological warfare.
Mark L. Knapp (PhD Pennsylvania State University) is the Jesse H. Jones Centennial Professor Emeritus in Communication and Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Knapp has published several scholarly articles in the area of lying and deception and he has directed several dissertations on the topic. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in lying and deception, and is writing a book in the area as well.
The Interplay of Truth and Deception: New Agendas in Theory and Research (New Agendas in Communication Series)
Amazon Price: $107.59 (as of 06/03/2012)
This volume aims to present on a more precise conceptualization of this phenomenon, manifested in some well-known constructions like spin, hype, doublespeak, equivocation and contextomy (quoting out of context).
5-Star rated (list price $37.95).
Kindle edition: $19.22
Rent from: $7.62
Some recommended reading on plagiarism . . .
Other People's Words: What Plagiarism Is and How to Avoid It (Issues in Focus Today)
Amazon Price: $24.66 (as of 06/03/2012)
5-Star rated. A reviewer known as K. Crosby (real name) from Virginia wrote December 14th, 2007: '"Other People's Words reminds us of the value of creative work. Barbara Francis very clearly explains plagiarism - and other research / writing pitfalls - to young writers and the adults in their lives. Other People's Words offers students practical advice, as they hone their skills, in responsible research and ethical writing. This is a wonderful entry in the Issues in Focus Today series presenting school and life lessons."
Another book and a DVD that might help . . .
Have you been plagiarized by any of these too?
This is totally anonymous up voting . . .
I have decided NOT to state the names of lensmasters, although I have personally had 100% of my lens URLs and / or work come up as copied by people on Squidoo.
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Storeed.info
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look2man.com/profile/gent-bio/
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smallbusinessblogging.com
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trendsstyling.com
0 points
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www5.pinkfactory.info
0 points
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depot9auctionsc.tk
0 points
“Feel free to submit the URL's of those businesses plagiarizing you 100%,
I'll add them to the list.”
Tell me who's been plagiarizing YOU 100 % or if you just want to say hi . . .
(not HTML allowing, comments approved first, anyone can comment):
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gemjane Apr 19, 2012 @ 7:17 am | delete
- Good topic! Interesting lens! I once googled part of some of my lenses, and found someone who was selling flower bulbs online had used part of my lens on planning for and planting bulbs. But when I looked again some weeks later, that plagiarized section on their website was gone. Whether they ran out of bulbs or their conscience bothered them I don't know.
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Ladymermaid
Mar 22, 2012 @ 10:01 am | delete
- I checked a couple of my lenses earlier this morning and was again saddened that a new round of plagiarism of my articles is underway. I knew something was up because my traffic has been dropping drastically as of late. Sometimes I wish they could really see the people they are hurting by their actions. It is like reaching into my pocket to steal my hard earned paycheck :(
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sousababy
Mar 22, 2012 @ 10:18 am | delete
- Even IF they could 'really see the people they are hurting' my sense is . . they don't care. Most of them are sociopathic and will stop at nothing to defraud others. Sadly, on Squidoo I have found this to be quite prevalent and am awaiting what HQ will do about it.
Yes, they ARE reaching into your pocket (and others who are honest) and stealing from you.
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- Thanks for fighting for the rights of creative individuals.
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gypsyman27
Mar 4, 2012 @ 5:59 pm | delete
- I want to say hi and to say the story of the guy using my life story is true. This could get out of hand, but he seems to think he can keep doing this as long as I cannot prove what he does. People that know me come to me and say X is using your life story as his own, you should do something about that. But what? Anyway hello love, how are you? I am sending you love and the hope that anyone that copies work from you is boiled in oil. See you around the galaxy...
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flinnie
Mar 3, 2012 @ 11:15 pm | delete
- Hi thanks for the info.
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- Is there any way to draw up a Petition to submit to the Squids in Charge?
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MaxReily
Feb 24, 2012 @ 9:10 pm | delete
- I meant to add, Rose, you're a real crusader. You'd make a great investigative reporter. Thanks for caring so much about injustice.
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MaxReily
Feb 24, 2012 @ 9:08 pm | delete
- I haven't discovered anyone copying my work, but I think it's stealing just as surely as stealing any other property. It's a shame that it's so easy for people to do, and to get by with.
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sockii
Feb 23, 2012 @ 1:19 pm | delete
- Bravo and I applaud you for taking a no-nonsense approach to this subject. I'm increasingly annoyed not just by how plagiarists and thieves are allowed to slide through the system, but how they are seemingly "protected" from any and all public "outing" - when that is just what is needed so that others can check if their work has been plagiarized! I feel the same way about image theft, especially as an artist myself. It drives me insane how image copyright abuse is tolerated on Squidoo and how difficult it is to get offenders' lenses locked or accounts suspended.
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surpriseitsme
Feb 19, 2012 @ 9:09 am | delete
- Happy Sunday! As a newbie I want to Thank You for a terrific lens. I like your style. ;)
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dellgirl
Feb 14, 2012 @ 9:50 pm | delete
- You have done it again, this is another riveting article. So well presented and full of thought provoking information. Kudos and thumbs up for a great post!
Yaaaa, I get to be the 1st to 'Like'.
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Squid Angels came by and blessed this lens
Please drop by and visit the fine work of these lensmasters . . .
About the Author
Rose (aka sousababy)
Related articles I have done about this . . .
My new line of sousababy products . . .
(with large order discounts and bulk prices from $6.47 each)
My first little wordpress blog, Rose Writes
Making sense of medical and health information
Proud Canadians On Squidoo
by sousababy
Trying to protect the creative process and eliminate plagiarism online. Attention: all original authors, stand up for your rights! Click for more abou... more »
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