Plagiarism and Copyright Violation Question

Marine0302 · 12-14-2008, 01:31 PM

I believe that I understand the concepts of plagiarism and copyright violation when using someone else's material. I am an honest person and will never knowingly do something illegal or unethical.

That said, it is my belief from reading articles, books and various online forum posts that it is considered appropriate to create an ebook, etc., using other ebooks, etc., as sources of information, scope of work, etc., in addition to other research I would be conducting.

In other words, if I want to create an ebook on senior citizen weight loss techniques, it is a common practice for me to review similar products as I am creating mine. Obviously, there's only so much science and knowledge associated with this topic (and all others) and while my ebook would undoubtedly contain some of the same "fundamentals" and baseline knowledge as my competitors, it is literally how I write it that differentiates my work from theirs. Again, I in no way want to even approach the line of legality, much less step over it.

I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts and advice on this topic.

Thanks!

Raydal · 12-14-2008, 02:19 PM

There are different components of plagiarism--ethical, legal, even cultural.
The temptation top plagiarize comes from not trusting your own writing
ability so you copy the words of others.
(See Avoiding Plagiarism - The OWL at Purdue)

It is generally said that IDEAS cannot be copyrighted but words can. But
this isn't always true. There are ideas that are common place and others
that are definitely associates with a certain individual.

You have the option of giving credit to your sources, but if this is your
competitor then you may get into some trouble there. What about
finding the "primary sources"--where did those other writers get their
information from? Can you read the same "primary sources" and come
up with the a different angle?

Following the same OUTLINE of another book can be plagiarism. Reading
other books in the field is a part of "reviewing the literature" stage, but
simply borrowing their information without giving credit is a no-no.

I quotes a website URL (so I gave credit) in an ebook and the writer
contacted me threatening legal action if I didn't remove it. This was
funny because I was sending traffic to his website. Anyway he was
claiming that TWO WORDS--that's correct--2 words I used was his!!

I don't think that book Titles can be copyrighted--but the usual
disclaimer--I didn't finish Law School because I never started so
check an attorney for legal advice.

-Ray L.,

gates17 · 12-14-2008, 06:02 PM

Question- If your use several lines or a quoted paragraph - (giving credit at the end of the eBook) that is not plagiarism, correct?
I have found a short published book, I am wanting to "Copy word for word" and offer a an incentive for a niche. Is that the ethical and legal? Of course full copyrights will be given.
Scot Gates

write-stuff · 12-14-2008, 06:16 PM

Keep in mind that plagiarism is not a legal term, but copyright violation is. You can plagiarise a public domain work and not break any laws. And you are correct, book titles are not copyrighted (although they possibly could be trademarked if the author wished to go through all of that).
- Russ

KathyK · 12-15-2008, 10:42 AM

gates17,

No. It is not legal. It doesn't matter if you give the original author(s) credit - you may not use someone else's work without their explicit permisson.

Marine0302 · 12-16-2008, 06:33 PM

Thanks everyone - you've answered my questions!

Alex Cohen · 12-16-2008, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gates17

Question- If your use several lines or a quoted paragraph - (giving credit at the end of the eBook) that is not plagiarism, correct?
I have found a short published book, I am wanting to "Copy word for word" and offer a an incentive for a niche. Is that the ethical and legal? Of course full copyrights will be given.
Scot Gates

Scot,

There is something in the copyright law called the "Fair Use" doctrine. It allows writers to reproduce a portion of a copyrighted work under certain conditions.

If you're looking for an exact definition of "Fair Use", there is none. Consider this quote from the U.S. Government Copyright Office website ...

"The distinction between “fair use” and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined."

You can find a discussion of "fair use" here ...

U.S. Copyright Office - Fair Use

I'm not a lawyer, so don't take anything I've written as legal advice.

Alex

12-14-2008, 01:31 PM	#1
Marine0302 Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 83 Thanks: 33 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Plagiarism and Copyright Violation Question I believe that I understand the concepts of plagiarism and copyright violation when using someone else's material. I am an honest person and will never knowingly do something illegal or unethical. That said, it is my belief from reading articles, books and various online forum posts that it is considered appropriate to create an ebook, etc., using other ebooks, etc., as sources of information, scope of work, etc., in addition to other research I would be conducting. In other words, if I want to create an ebook on senior citizen weight loss techniques, it is a common practice for me to review similar products as I am creating mine. Obviously, there's only so much science and knowledge associated with this topic (and all others) and while my ebook would undoubtedly contain some of the same "fundamentals" and baseline knowledge as my competitors, it is literally how I write it that differentiates my work from theirs. Again, I in no way want to even approach the line of legality, much less step over it. I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts and advice on this topic. Thanks!

12-14-2008, 02:19 PM	#2
Raydal Marketing Strategist War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Punta Gorda, FL, USA. Posts: 3,248 Thanks: 150 Thanked 1,131 Times in 501 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Plagiarism and Copyright Violation Question There are different components of plagiarism--ethical, legal, even cultural. The temptation top plagiarize comes from not trusting your own writing ability so you copy the words of others. (See Avoiding Plagiarism - The OWL at Purdue) It is generally said that IDEAS cannot be copyrighted but words can. But this isn't always true. There are ideas that are common place and others that are definitely associates with a certain individual. You have the option of giving credit to your sources, but if this is your competitor then you may get into some trouble there. What about finding the "primary sources"--where did those other writers get their information from? Can you read the same "primary sources" and come up with the a different angle? Following the same OUTLINE of another book can be plagiarism. Reading other books in the field is a part of "reviewing the literature" stage, but simply borrowing their information without giving credit is a no-no. I quotes a website URL (so I gave credit) in an ebook and the writer contacted me threatening legal action if I didn't remove it. This was funny because I was sending traffic to his website. Anyway he was claiming that TWO WORDS--that's correct--2 words I used was his!! I don't think that book Titles can be copyrighted--but the usual disclaimer--I didn't finish Law School because I never started so check an attorney for legal advice. -Ray L.,
	WSO: 6 Months Of Copywriting Coaching For Just $597 By Warrior's Favorite Copywriting Coach! The Economy Sucks Copywriting Special! \| Copywriting Course FIVERR Gig!

12-14-2008, 06:02 PM	#3
gates17 Warrior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 9 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Plagiarism and Copyright Violation Question Question- If your use several lines or a quoted paragraph - (giving credit at the end of the eBook) that is not plagiarism, correct? I have found a short published book, I am wanting to "Copy word for word" and offer a an incentive for a niche. Is that the ethical and legal? Of course full copyrights will be given. Scot Gates

12-14-2008, 06:16 PM	#4
write-stuff Eschew Obfuscation War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Atlanta Posts: 623 Thanks: 12 Thanked 48 Times in 40 Posts	Re: Plagiarism and Copyright Violation Question Keep in mind that plagiarism is not a legal term, but copyright violation is. You can plagiarise a public domain work and not break any laws. And you are correct, book titles are not copyrighted (although they possibly could be trademarked if the author wished to go through all of that). - Russ

12-15-2008, 10:42 AM	#5
KathyK Warrior Nerd Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SW Florida Posts: 227 Thanks: 41 Thanked 50 Times in 48 Posts	Re: Plagiarism and Copyright Violation Question gates17, No. It is not legal. It doesn't matter if you give the original author(s) credit - you may not use someone else's work without their explicit permisson.
	Cheers, Kathy

12-16-2008, 06:33 PM	#6
Marine0302 Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 83 Thanks: 33 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Plagiarism and Copyright Violation Question Thanks everyone - you've answered my questions!