Plagiarism Today and the Internet
I came across Plagiarism Today , as a result of posting a negative review of an online marketing product and being contacted by the author who threatened to take legal action because of it. Although it turns out the author was simply blowing smoke , it was a disturbing couple of days for me. Knowing that a resource like Plagiarism Today is available to ethical webmasters renews my hope that the Internet doesn’t have to be the jungle that it is often mistaken for.
“Plagiarism Today (PT) is a site targeted at Webmasters and copyright holders regarding the issue of plagiarism online. Though it deals with many legal issues, in particular the DMCA and [tag-tec]copyright law[/tag-tec], it is not a legal blog and is, instead, a blog regarding a societal ill that’s effects may never be fully understood or comprehended.
“The goals of this site are as follows:
- To increase awareness, both among copyright holders and the media, regarding the prevalence of plagiarism on the Web,
- To inform copyright holders of their rights on line and encourage them to protect those rights in a responsible manner,
- To aid Webmasters and others who wish to reuse other works in doing so without fear of being dubbed a plagiarist,
- To create a community where copyright holders can work together and support one another in dealing with this issue,
- To give tools to copyright holders that enable them to more efficiently and more easily protect their rights,
- To reduce the overall rate of plagiarism by shining a very bright light on what previously has been the Web’s very dark secret,
- To bring about legal reforms that benefit all copyright holders, not just those with deep pockets, and create a fair balance between the rights of ownership for the copyright holder and society’s need to have a free and open culture.
“Achieving these goals will not be easy and none of them can be taken lightly. However, it is our sincere hope that, with support from readers like yourself, they are all attainable.
“Because, in the end, this battle will not come down to the actions of a few people, but the direction society at large chooses to follow. Though a few determined individuals can change the course of history, it is no trivial thing and we must all be prepared to fight the fight.”
For a deeper look into the dark side of plagiarism, check out the series, “Stopping Internet Plagiarism .”
Johnathan Bailey is “a respected author and Webmaster and has successfully handled over 350 cases of plagiarism. He has worked with dozens of Web hosts including Microsoft, Google, AOL, Myspace and Lycos to get stolen content removed from their servers, and has developed powerful, automated plagiarism detection techniques that virtually eliminate the need to conduct manual searches for your work. He has helped dozens of Webmasters protect their works without spending a single dime on software or legal fees.”
Thanks for being there, Johnathan.
