General/Off-topic |
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copyright issues
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1. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 12:18 pm |
Quoting catwoman: 11 Apr 2008 Fri 02:13 pm
I think this thread is designed as a personal attack that can only lead to more fights, so I'm locking it. |
Granted, this all began with a heated exchange but I began that thread in good faith as I wanted to know more about the practice of acknowledging/not acknowledging someone else’s work. Not my problem if teaschip1 couldn’t see that or control herself.
The rules of this site are clear, i.e.
12. Any message with more than a few sentences copied from another source must give the source with the copied text. Excessive copying from other sources must be avoided. Instead of pasting a whole article please post a link to the article and your thoughts about it in a few sentences.
Btw - Anyone critical of Alameda’s propensity to provide links would do well to note this rule.
The last sentence is particularly noteworthy:
“ . . . post a link to the article and your thoughts about it in a few sentences.â€
Whilst researching another site I came across this:
“In its early years, Free Republic generally allowed its members to post copyrighted news stories in entirety to its forum, regardless of whether permission had been granted by content owners, until the site was sued in 1998 by The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times for copyright infringement. The newspapers obtained a permanent injunction, although stipulated damages of $1 million were reduced to $10,000 during settlement negotiations which allowed the defendants to drop their appeal.[19] The case, often cited when arguing cyberlaw, is called L.A. Times v. Free Republic. “
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Republic
The above relates specifically to news stories although it is still pertinent as many news stories are posted on this site. I might add that the vast majority are acknowledged nowadays. However, lawsuits aren’t only limited to infringements relating to news stories:
“The Copyright Act provides two primary remedies: (1) it allows the owner of the copyrighted material to stop the infringement and (2) obtain damages and attorney fees from the infringer. Both types of relief are available even if the copyrighted material has not been registered with the United States Copyright Office before the infringement occurs.
While registration before infringement allows the copyright holder to recover statutory damages and attorney fees, the owner of an unregistered copyright still has a number of significant rights.â€
Source http://www.injuryboard.com/topic/website-plagiarism-electronic.aspx
With regard to the type of site teaschip obtained her essay from, it may be that she is covered legally. The article :
The Mystery Behind the Written (c)
By Christopher B. Skvarka
Found at http://www.pitt.edu/~skvarka/education/copyright/
States:
“Many works on the Internet are available for public use. However, the author of the work must have explicitly granted it to public domain. If a work is in public domain, granted by saying "I grant this to the public domain," anybody who stumbles upon it can use, take, or copy without giving credit to the owner (Templeton 1). Although, frequently a user can contact the author of the work and be granted permission to use it (Templeton 4).â€
Although later states:
“So how does that apply to Internet users? Internet users cannot scan material from periodicals and post them on the Internet. Users cannot transfer graphics or works, without the knowledge of the owner, and post them somewhere else on the Internet (Templeton 1). . . . To be safe, Internet users should just ask first to insure everyone's safety.â€
So it’s a little confusing.
Copyright law is complicated and that is probably why Admins of this site have included Rule 12, in order to minimise any risk of copyright infringement. I don’t think members should be so blasé about excluding sources of articles, essays etc. because it is not they who carry the risks of litigation or the expense of insurance against possible litigation. Members aren’t charged for using the site, the least we can do is be responsible and endeavour to acknowledge the source of any work which is not our own.
Having said all of this, whether legal or not, I think morally and out of respect for other members included in a debate (who take the trouble to articulate their ideas themselves), we have a responsibility to acknowledge that we are posting the work of a third party. It is so easy to do , simply say “ I have found this article/essay that encapsulates my view . . . “ and quote/acknowledge source. No problem.
Teaschip1 asserts that the practice of not quoting sources is common on this site. I had not realised this and that is one reason why I began the last thread that was locked.
So, is it true? Do people often google essays and post them as their own work? If so, what do members think?
I think this is a perfectly pertinent subject for debate on this forum.
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2. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 12:32 pm |
I began this thread yesterday but it disappeared, without explanation, overnight.
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3. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 12:54 pm |
Quoting karpusqueen: I began this thread yesterday but it disappeared, without explanation, overnight.
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I agree it is somewhat irksome. In a perfect world ALL your posts and threads would disappear overnight
(Just passing through..... )
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4. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 01:50 pm |
Quoting Ghost2: Quoting karpusqueen: I began this thread yesterday but it disappeared, without explanation, overnight.
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I agree it is somewhat irksome. In a perfect world ALL your posts and threads would disappear overnight
(Just passing through..... ) |
passing through . . . pinworms, threadworms, flatulence, poo, AEnigma . . . they all pass through
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5. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 05:20 pm |
Quoting karpusqueen: I began this thread yesterday but it disappeared, without explanation, overnight.
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So - what did I just read then? :-S
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6. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 05:22 pm |
Quoting Ghost2: Quoting karpusqueen: I began this thread yesterday but it disappeared, without explanation, overnight.
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I agree it is somewhat irksome. In a perfect world ALL your posts and threads would disappear overnight
(Just passing through..... ) |
That made me laugh!
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7. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 05:23 pm |
I had a copy so I began the thread again.
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8. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 05:24 pm |
Quoting karpusqueen: Quoting Ghost2: Quoting karpusqueen: I began this thread yesterday but it disappeared, without explanation, overnight.
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I agree it is somewhat irksome. In a perfect world ALL your posts and threads would disappear overnight
(Just passing through..... ) |
passing through . . . pinworms, threadworms, flatulence, poo, AEnigma . . . they all pass through |
But I actually think this is quite rude -
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9. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 05:29 pm |
Quoting lady in red: Quoting karpusqueen: Quoting Ghost2: Quoting karpusqueen: I began this thread yesterday but it disappeared, without explanation, overnight.
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I agree it is somewhat irksome. In a perfect world ALL your posts and threads would disappear overnight
(Just passing through..... ) |
passing through . . . pinworms, threadworms, flatulence, poo, AEnigma . . . they all pass through |
But I actually think this is quite rude - |
I wouldn't want to disappoint.
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10. |
12 Apr 2008 Sat 05:33 pm |
Although it is a long post and somewhat complicated to read, there is the point of copyright that should be considered, especially when the site advertises a lawyer of copyright, which is directly above post 7. I believe that if something is copied from a piece that holds a copyright symbol or clearly states that it is a copyright, then the source should be quoted. If the post is quoted from an article by an author then that author should be quoted. Not difficult - just a case of common decency!
Modified: it would be useful to hear other opinions
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