What About Plagiarism?
June 26th 2008 20:04
Background: Work, Borrowed and Stolen
In my last post, I mentioned that I'd discovered two unauthorized postings of my work on the Internet. One of the two posted my byline and linked to both my blog and the blog I'd originally posted the piece to (though changing the title of the piece), and the other removed my byline, provided no link, and also changed the title of the piece. I've written all about the first instance in my previous post, Who Has the Right to Post Your Work? I'll cover the second, more serious offense, in this post.
Google Alert Comes Through, Again!
I learned about both these unauthorized postings of my work through Google Alerts I'd set up using unique phrases from my work. In the case of the second article, I'd instructed Google to scour the Web for the following phrase: "individual's simple personal musings about a subject." That's all it took. I had set up a comprehensive, as-it-happens alert. So, as soon as the Googlebot found my content, a notification e-mail, including a description and link to the offending website, appeared in my inbox. Finding my work was as simple as that.
A Visit to the Offending Site
When I clicked the link to visit the website that had posted my piece without permission, I discovered that it was a British blogging website. (My post was also, as you've likely guessed, about blogging.) There, unceremoniously gracing the site's webpage, stood my article, sporting a revised title, some added text, and three added links to other pages on the site (both of which had been placed directly into the body of the piece). Conspicuously absent were my byline and the last few paragraphs of my article. Needless to say, these things made me rather unhappy. And while I was glad to see that no one else's byline was on my piece, that did little to assuage my annoyance at this site's presumptuous handling of my work.
A Message to the Offending Site-Owner
I decided to send a message to the website's owner via the site's Contact form. The following is the message I left:
You have posted my article, "The Fascinating World of Blogging: Is It for You?" to your website without my permission, at the following URL: [LINK REMOVED]. This is a direct violation of my copyright as the author of this work. Not only have you used this article without my permission, but you have also removed my byline, changed the article's title, and made other unauthorized changes to the article itself.
If you would like to continue to use this article, usage rights to the article are available for purchase at the Constant Content website at the following URL: [ARTICLE URL].
To continue using this article, you must do the following:
1. Visit Constant Content and purchase usage rights to the article.
2. Replace my byline.
3. Restore the article's correct title: "The Fascinating World of Blogging: Is It for You?"
4. Remove the additions you’ve made to my article (i.e., your links using the anchor text "B___," "B___ blogger," and "Blog"--which you may place at the END of your post, OUTSIDE and SEPARATE FROM my article, if you desire to keep them) and restore any other changes you've made to the original article.
If you prefer not to purchase usage rights to the article (which are really quite inexpensive); or if you're willing to purchase usage rights, but unwilling to make all the changes listed above, please take this article down from your website immediately, as you do not have authorization to use it, and as usage rights to the article include all the above requirements.
Thank you very much,
Jeanne Dininni
If you would like to continue to use this article, usage rights to the article are available for purchase at the Constant Content website at the following URL: [ARTICLE URL].
To continue using this article, you must do the following:
1. Visit Constant Content and purchase usage rights to the article.
2. Replace my byline.
3. Restore the article's correct title: "The Fascinating World of Blogging: Is It for You?"
4. Remove the additions you’ve made to my article (i.e., your links using the anchor text "B___," "B___ blogger," and "Blog"--which you may place at the END of your post, OUTSIDE and SEPARATE FROM my article, if you desire to keep them) and restore any other changes you've made to the original article.
If you prefer not to purchase usage rights to the article (which are really quite inexpensive); or if you're willing to purchase usage rights, but unwilling to make all the changes listed above, please take this article down from your website immediately, as you do not have authorization to use it, and as usage rights to the article include all the above requirements.
Thank you very much,
Jeanne Dininni
The Website-Owner's Reply
The very next day, I received an apologetic e-mail from the site owner telling me that he'd purchased the article from a writer--and I use the term loosely and only because it's the term he used--on one of the freelance bidding sites, who had told him she'd written it. He also said that he'd taken the article down.
That was the point at which I realized that I was indeed dealing with outright, intentional plagiarism--that my article had been hijacked by an unscrupulous "writer" who felt it was perfectly OK to profit financially by passing off someone else's work as her own.
My Unsuccessful Attempt to Get to the Bottom of It
I was quite relieved to learn that the website owner had taken down my article--though I admit I did feel bad that he'd been taken advantage of every bit as much as I had. I did, however, want to get to the bottom of it and do everything in my power to put a stop to this so-called writer's cavalier selling of other, real writers' work. So, I sent the following response to the website owner's e-mail:
Dear A___,
I'm very sorry to hear that you, too, have been the unwitting victim of the dishonesty of this unscrupulous "writer." Is there any information you can give me about the person who sold my article to you that might help me track down this individual and put a stop to this so others aren't taken advantage of as you were? If you have this person's name, [BIDDING SITE] username, or any other info about him/her, I might at least be able to contact [BIDDING SITE] and inform them that this individual is selling plagiarized work.
For your protection in the future, I recommend googling a unique phrase from any article you're planning to buy before you pay for it. This will show you where this work is already posted on the internet and who has posted it. You may not always be able to tell this way (e.g., when you've purchased it from someone selling it through a site where usernames are the norm). But, at the very least, if you see it posted under several different bylines, that should give you a clue. You might also be able to contact authors through their contact info on their websites to check on a so-called writer's ownership of an article.
FYI: I discovered that your website had posted my piece via a Google Alert that I had set up to detect any websites that had the following unique phrase from my article posted to them: "individual's simple personal musings about a subject." As you can see, Google can be a great help in detecting plagiarism—either through Google searches or Google Alerts.
I do appreciate your willingness to do the right thing by taking down the article. And again, I'm so sorry that you were victimized by this so-called writer, who gives real, honest writers a bad name; and I hope you won't judge all of us by the dishonest few.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Dininni
I'm very sorry to hear that you, too, have been the unwitting victim of the dishonesty of this unscrupulous "writer." Is there any information you can give me about the person who sold my article to you that might help me track down this individual and put a stop to this so others aren't taken advantage of as you were? If you have this person's name, [BIDDING SITE] username, or any other info about him/her, I might at least be able to contact [BIDDING SITE] and inform them that this individual is selling plagiarized work.
For your protection in the future, I recommend googling a unique phrase from any article you're planning to buy before you pay for it. This will show you where this work is already posted on the internet and who has posted it. You may not always be able to tell this way (e.g., when you've purchased it from someone selling it through a site where usernames are the norm). But, at the very least, if you see it posted under several different bylines, that should give you a clue. You might also be able to contact authors through their contact info on their websites to check on a so-called writer's ownership of an article.
FYI: I discovered that your website had posted my piece via a Google Alert that I had set up to detect any websites that had the following unique phrase from my article posted to them: "individual's simple personal musings about a subject." As you can see, Google can be a great help in detecting plagiarism—either through Google searches or Google Alerts.
I do appreciate your willingness to do the right thing by taking down the article. And again, I'm so sorry that you were victimized by this so-called writer, who gives real, honest writers a bad name; and I hope you won't judge all of us by the dishonest few.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Dininni
No Reply--and that Nagging Question of Why
The trouble--and I admit that I do find this a bit unsettling--is that the website owner never replied to this e-mail, which was dated June 8th (about 2-1/2 weeks ago). This does raise questions in my mind about whether the site owner had in fact been honest in the first place when he told me how he'd originally come to post my piece. Of course, it's every bit as likely that he simply doesn't recall the username of the individual from whom he bought the piece on a website that thrives on anonymity and mandates no outside contact between buyers and sellers. This would be a reasonable assumption. Yet, I would have felt so much better to at least have received a reply telling me as much.
My Decision Not to Identify the Website
I've decided not to reveal the name of the website that posted my piece for two reasons:
1. The website owner promptly apologized and removed my piece from his site.
2. Though his lack of response to my request for more information about the offending "writer" has left me wondering about his honesty, I really have no proof that his explanation for how he came by my article is untrue.
After much thought, I've also decided not to identify the freelance bidding site, since this could happen to any such website, entirely without the knowledge or consent of the site's administrators. I believe the negative publicity such a disclosure might create for the site would be both unfair and unwarranted under the circumstances.
Should I Pursue It Further?
My nagging question at this point is, "Should I pursue this further?" I can't help but wonder whether I shouldn't recontact the site owner--though that would seem fruitless--or perhaps try contacting the bidding site directly and giving them all the information I have, in the hope that they may be able to track down the transaction--and, with it, the offending "writer."
I must confess that I would find it most satisfying to have this unscrupulous individual banned from the site to prevent her from doing this to anyone else there--though, of course, I realize that the value of this action would be limited, since she could simply leave the site and perpetrate her thievery on other unsuspecting clients of other freelance writing websites. But, at least it would be a start--a small step toward righting a wrong and preventing the perpetuation of that wrong in one cyber location, anyway. I'll definitely be considering taking this step.
Come to think of it, though, I suppose it's possible that this person could actually remain on the same freelance bidding site by simply changing her username and registering with a new e-mail address. So, it's really questionable how much good it would do to contact the bidding site. I'll certainly have to give it more thought.
That's My Story
Well, there you have it--an intentional hijacking of a writer's work for purely profit-driven motives. A blatant disregard for an author's rights made possible by the sheer ease and amazing convenience with which modern technology has enabled Web content to be copied and pasted by anyone to any desired location, either online or off.
Do You Have a Plagiarism Tale to Share?
How about you? Has your work ever literally been stolen--i.e., used in a way that was obviously intended to be plagiarism, rather than simple posting of your work to another website in likely ignorance of copyright law and with proper attribution? Has anyone removed your byline without your consent? Has someone actually sold your content under his or her own byline? Has someone had the nerve to sell full rights to your work? If so, what did you do about it? What was the outcome? Even if it hasn't happened to you, what do you think about the issue? What would you do if it did happen to you? What do you think I should do?
Looking forward to your thoughts,
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Have anything to add? Please feel free to comment on any aspect of this issue that strikes your fancy--whether or not your comment answers any of the questions I've used above to prompt thought.
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Comment by Brad Shorr
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for your support! I really appreciate it!
I must admit that I, too, am hoping that if the website owner is really the one responsible for the plagiarism, he will think twice about doing it again. Even if he isn't responsible, one only hopes that he'll take the precautions I've suggested to ensure that he isn't victimized in this way again.
However, I fear that even if his explanation is true, the so-called writer who sold my article to him either has no idea what's happened with the article or wouldn't care anyway. I find it hard to believe that a person who would knowingly steal and fraudulently sell something that doesn't belong to her would have any qualms about doing it again--particularly through such an anonymous medium as the Internet.
I'm happy to share the messages I've used to obtain some measure of satisfaction in this situation. If the messages I've written can help my readers obtain satisfaction over their own misappropriated works, I'd be delighted to see them used as templates for their own messages to copyright violators.
Thanks so much for stopping by to read and comment!
Jeanne
Comment by Mike Goad
"While looking for pages linked to our internet sites, I came across some material that looked astonishingly familiar, so familiar, in fact, that it was the entire text from one of my web sites."
"The really amazing – and ironic – aspect of the whole thing was that the site that was copied was a site on – get this – copyright."
The whole story is at My Copyright Was Infringed!
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks so much for sharing your story, as well as the link to your copyright infringement website. I hope my readers will visit your webpage where they'll pick up some valuable information that can help them protect their own work.
It certainly is ironic that the content posted by the other site was actually a piece you'd written on copyright! Sometimes we humans do incredibly foolish things!
In situations such as this, education is a really important weapon--because ignorance on the part of either writer or copyright infringer (if not both) contributes to the problem, and often a little knowledge is all it takes to set things right.
Again, thanks for visiting and sharing some very valuable information with us!
Regards,
Jeanne
Comment by Lillie Ammann
I suggest you contact the site owner again. It's quite possible that he didn't get your e-mail - messages sometimes get lost in cyberspace or wrongly sent to a spam box. I think I would forward the original message (so the original date is apparent) with a note above it saying that since you haven't received a response, you're checking to see if the message got lost in transmission. And include a link to this post.
If he really was victimized that will give him another chance to respond in case he didn't get the message. And if he stole your work and made up a false story about it, he will realize you suspect him of doing that. He might not care, but it might make him reconsider his actions.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for your advice! I'll definitely consider doing that. It is true that sometimes our messages aren't received for one reason or another. I don't think mine ended up in spam, though, since I simply clicked "Reply" to the e-mail he sent me when I responded--though, of course, I can't really be sure.
I suppose that in one sense it would be only fair to send him a link to this post so he knows that his lack of response has left me wondering about his honesty. This would give him an opportunity to clarify the issue, should he want to. Yet, in another sense, I feel bad to be wondering about his honesty at all, since he wasted no time in sending me an apology and taking down my article--two acts which appear to indicate a good-faith effort to right an unintentional wrong.
Appreciate your input!
Jeanne
Comment by Bobby Revell
Because it was obviously not a real site, I did not contact the author. I reported an adsense violation directly to google. The site was removed in three days and their adsense account was canceled by google. I went right for the jugular and got it.
If it seems to be a real site, I would probably do what you did. It's a lot of work keeping up with all the theft, but it's worth the effort. I don't get upset about it, I just do something about it instead. It happens everyday.
Thanks for sharing
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Interesting point you raise about scraper sites. As far as I know, none of my work has been appropriated by one of these sites. (This is likely only because Orble doesn't offer a full feed--so in one sense at least, partial feeds have the advantage.)
The proactive way you've dealt with scraper sites is a good one--and obviously quite effective. Thanks for passing on that info and giving my readers one more tool for dealing with pirated content.
Appreciate the visit--and the comment!
Jeanne
Comment by Morgan
Comment by Amy Derby
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
College students seem to be famous for that--or should I say infamous--though they certainly aren't alone in thinking that anything they find online is fair game!
Thanks for stopping by!
Jeanne
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Great to see you! I have to admit that I've been so busy myself lately that I've been visiting hardly any of my favorite blogs--which I feel really bad about. I'm hoping that, now that I've given up my contract writing gig (did so at the end of June), I'll be able to find more time for that. (By the way, I'm fine and hope you are, too.)
I certainly see your point, and I, too, tend to get a bit stubborn and (dare I admit?) self-righteous about the issue when it affects my own work.
In this particular case, while ideally I'd like to track down the person who sold my work as her own, my main objective (of having my work removed from the offending site) has been realized. I may yet pursue the situation further, but so many things vie for our attention in this fast-paced cyber world that it can often be difficult to decide what's the most productive thing to spend one's time on.
I really appreciate your support! Thanks for cheering me on! That's one of the best things about the blogosphere--or rather the bloggers in it!
Take care!
Jeanne
Comment by John Hewitt
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
It really can be difficult to control how our work is used on the Internet. I get to feeling a bit indignant, though, when someone has appropriated my work without permission--especially when they've taken liberties with it, such as changing its title, removing my byline, and/or making actual changes to the article itself. And when they put their own name on it, that's when I really get indignant! (In the above case, the website owner didn't put his name on it; but a so-called writer, by selling it to him as her own work on a freelance bidding site, in effect placed her name on it--though she didn't do so literally.) Actions like that really do make one wonder about some people.
You are fortunate that your blog is a well-established and well-trafficked site that enjoys some status in the eyes of Google. No doubt that helps a great deal.
Thanks for stopping by to comment!
Jeanne
Comment by Lindsay
Honestly, I just work to make sure my site (the original) is a quality site with lots of incoming links so that it comes up first in the search engine results. Most of the plagiarizers will never have sites that rank for anything, so it's doubtful many people will even see the swiped versions of your work.
I don't personally worry about it that much, but that is just my take, and I can certainly understand folks who are more affronted.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks so much for your input on this important topic! It's very true that with the unprecedented proliferation of "borrowed" content that we see on the Internet today, it can almost seem like a losing battle at times to keep track of our work and correct every occurrence of the problem.
As you say, it is very important to work on the quality of our own sites and continually build incoming links so search engines will recognize us as the originators of the content.
Yet, even when we do this, there are times when the other person's posting of our work will show up ahead of ours in search results. I've actually had this happen to me. A buyer had purchased non-exclusive rights to use one of my articles and immediately proceeded to remove my byline and post it as his own work. Since his blog was presumably higher-ranking in search engines, his posting of my piece showed up in the first position in Google search results, bumping mine to second place. As you can well imagine, this did not make me very happy!
This same person also posted my article to Associated Content under his own byline--though I had already posted it there months before he had. Fortunately, I was able to get both issues resolved, and he removed both pieces from the two sites. Yet, I can't help but wonder how often this happens to other unsuspecting writers. And since I've actually had an article stolen and sold to a website as the work of another "author," I think it's important for us to do our best to prevent as many of these instances of copyright infringement and out-and-out plagiarism as we possibly can.
Thanks so much for stopping by to share your insight and experience!
Jeanne