How much should we "rewrite" articles to avoid copyright infringement?

[Sandeep Shah]

I have discovered some amazing topics which have huge audience but there are no websites/blogs. But there are a lot of offline magazines publishing information about it.

I am planning to use those magazines for content creation. If I take content from these magazines, to what % should I rewrite it to keep my nose clean?

[adamv]

You should not simply "rewrite" someone else's content. It's okay to use the magazines to get ideas for your content but changing the wording around a bit does not make it your own.

It is illegal to take someone elses content and publish it .. Research is looking up a topic and reading and learning about that topic. Then sitting down and write in your own words from what you have learned...

James

[arttse]

So in other words...

plagarism is copying from ONE article...whereas research is copying from MULTIPLE articles.

lol

Originally Posted by arttse

So in other words...

plagarism is copying from ONE article...whereas research is copying from MULTIPLE articles.

lol

No you do not copy nothing ... And articles are not designed to be used for research, this is what many do at EZA .. Go read and copy someone elses article because some stupid ebook that some wannabe sold told them to do it.

Research is when you use many different forms such as online libraries, online news, and etc...

James

[peter_act]

Plagiarism is copying content word for word.

Research is copying content word for word from many sources, but always attributing the source.

I do a total rewrite of an article so that even the author of the original article wouldn't recognise it.

[adamv]

I got the following definition from dictionary.reference.com

pla⋅gia⋅rism

  /ˈpleɪdʒəˌrɪzəm, -dʒiəˌrɪz-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pley-juh-riz-uhm, -jee-uh-riz-] Show IPA–noun

1. the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.

According to this definition plagiarism does not have to be word for word.

[warriortx]

I think 80% of anything.

Originally Posted by adamv

I got the following definition from dictionary.reference.com

pla⋅gia⋅rism

  /ˈpleɪdʒəˌrɪzəm, -dʒiəˌrɪz-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pley-juh-riz-uhm, -jee-uh-riz-] Show IPA–noun

1. the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.

According to this definition plagiarism does not have to be word for word.

If people would only use their mind to actually do some work... I sometimes wonder how some of these people even make blog post, forum post, and etc.

Oh I know what they do ... "Hey let me google it for the answer to this post and copy and paste it and change a word or 2" ...

James

[adamv]

I posted that definition in response to peter_act who said plagiarism was copying something word for word.

Originally Posted by adamv

I posted that definition in response to peter_act who said plagiarism was copying something word for word.

I know Adam, sorry that was not a crack at you but a crack at those that think they can just grab articles up and reword them ..

James

[adamv]

Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet

I know Adam, sorry that was not a crack at you but a crack at those that think they can just grab articles up and reword them ..

James

No worries. I was a little confused and not 100% sure either way. If you were in agreement with me or taking a shot.

I wanted to post that definition though because a lot of people believe that plagiarism is a word for word copy when in fact you can change all of the words but if all you do is replace words with synonyms it's still illegal.

I actually find it easier to write an original article than trying to rework one article to seem original anyway. If I ever get the urge to rewrite one of my own articles I usually just end up writing a fresh one.

[iinny]

I would say 95%. You need to make sure that out of trouble could get your article on top position.

[Dan C. Rinnert]

How would you "rewrite" Star Wars?

Maybe change the title to Space Battles? Maybe R2-D2, er, 2D-2R will be tall and copper colored and C-3PO, er, OP-3C will be short and make whirring noises. San Halo and his friend Backchewie will be space pilots or something, and help Duke Skywriter save Tia Piano from the clutches of Dark Daver.

You could rewrite it 80%. You could rewrite it 95%. You could rewrite it 100%. But, you know what, you're still going to get sued by George Lucas because it's still freakin' Star Wars!!!

If you just do the work and write your own original articles, you don't have to worry about percentages or how much to rewrite or getting past Copyscape or slipping through the cracks at EZA, because your work will be your work.

If you want to rewrite stuff, get a hold of some quality PLR. Otherwise, do your own work.

[Agnel]

Try to rewrite completely. Take a paragraph, grasp the concept and write the paragraph in your own style and flair. Also change the headings completely. I have done some of them like this and never had someone say that it is similiar to something else.

[FaJeeb]

I elaborate on details and use synonymns.

[dadvocate]

Here's an idea. Write all of your own original content. Have peace of mind. Have dignity.

Nuf said.




Shawn

[Damien Roche]

You don't rewrite other people's content. Simple.

You research and build up your own mental landscape on a subject and then write your own original content...then you rewrite that to increase the amount of [hopefully valuable] content you have.

When people talk about rewriting articles on this forum, they don't mean other people's content - they mean their own, either written by them, outsourced or plr.

..and whoever said researching a topic and writing what you've learned is copying articles from multiple sources needs to reconsider this completely absurd concept.

*Everything* we know is from another source. We weren't just born with the knowledge to do sums and read and talk and write. We *learned* that from other sources.

And if you don't see that - WOW - we must be plagiarizing so many text books right now.

[BIG Mike]

The only thing I can suggest is that you contact those magazines and obtain permission to reprint the content online. Maybe you'll get it, maybe you won'. Maybe you'll have to pay a fee for it.

If you seriously think you can get away with rewriting their content and are naive enough to think offline sources don't check for copyright violations online, you'd better think again.

And if you believe these folks won't pursue you through the legal channels available to you, I've got some beachfront property in centeral iraq I can sell you dirt cheap.

Stealing content is illegal, unethical, lazy, and just downright sad - I'd hate to go through life knowing that any success i had online was a complete fraud.

[Paul Myers]

For all those folks tempted to try most of the advice in this thread, or to spread this misinformation, I suggest going to any legal dictionary and looking up the term "derivative work."

Get a clue, people. Learn how to learn, and learn how to think. Then, and only then, should you bother trying to write for a mass market. Otherwise, you're just a bad parody of a mediocre parrot of a sketch about a Norwegian Blah.

If you're so intellectually impoverished that you can't express an idea with a new or unique perspective, or come up with a useful way to say something that doesn't involve copying from people who've made the effort to do the hard work of thinking, maybe writing isn't for you.

Perhaps a career change. I hear there's great demand for people to market culinary upsells at establishments specializing in cuisine for the time-deprived.


Paul

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert

How would you "rewrite" Star Wars?

Well, I might make it about cowboys and call it "A Fistful of Dollars," or I might make it about samurai and call it "Yojimbo," or I might make it about a private detective and call it "Red Harvest."

[geoffcruz]

If its an offline publication that i would copy from, then i will just take the gist of the article make a completely new one or maybe 70 percent of the article.

[Paul Myers]

If its an offline publication that i would copy from, then i will just take the gist of the article make a completely new one or maybe 70 percent of the article.

Why am I not surprised that a person whose sig file is just link bait would give this kind of bad advice, after so many others have actually bothered to READ the thread?

I am reminded of something my cat once said. He didn't make any sense either, but it sounded a lot like your post...


Paul

Originally Posted by adamv

No worries. I was a little confused and not 100% sure either way. If you were in agreement with me or taking a shot.

I wanted to post that definition though because a lot of people believe that plagiarism is a word for word copy when in fact you can change all of the words but if all you do is replace words with synonyms it's still illegal.

I actually find it easier to write an original article than trying to rework one article to seem original anyway. If I ever get the urge to rewrite one of my own articles I usually just end up writing a fresh one.

Oh yeah I was in agreement with you ... lol

@Paul Myers - Fully agree .. Seems many need to get a clue. It seems we got a large rash of people (more than normal) that last 6 months or so that have been taught to take someone elses work and rewrite it and that is how you write articles..

James

[Dan C. Rinnert]

Originally Posted by CDarklock

Well, I might make it about cowboys and call it "A Fistful of Dollars," or I might make it about samurai and call it "Yojimbo," or I might make it about a private detective and call it "Red Harvest."

Or Star Trek (2009).

YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.

Incidentally, the producers of Yojimbo sued over A Fistful of Dollars and won.

[scottgallagher]

According to our testing, Google wants to see an average of 60% new content.

Ethically speaking, copying one sentence word for word and then everything else is unique, is still wrong. Take that sentence and put it in your own words. In most cases, it's ok to copy text word for word if you cite the source.

[Dennis Gaskill]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Get a clue, people. Learn how to learn, and learn how to think.

Ah...thank you very much! I've been trying to get that message out for years.

[butters]

Most things you read now days are not unique. Its simple, find some articles, lets say about weight loss, take all different aspects and points from the articles, just write simple notes about them so you remember then just write your article from your notes. You will come back with a good content article which in most cases, unless your unlucky and someone writes like you, something that google will like.

This isn't plagiarism so its all cool.

[TelegramSam]

Maybe this is why there are so many versions of the bible.

No one wanted to get sued by the apostles relatives.

[anthony2]

Take the information you have read from the magazine and then

rewrite it an your own words...it is nothing wrong with that. Americans

we have been doing that for decades. From elementary to junior high to college and

beyond.

Originally Posted by anthony2

Take the information you have read from the magazine and then

rewrite it an your own words...it is nothing wrong with that. Americans

we have been doing that for decades. From elementary to junior high to college and

beyond.

Yet another one that did not bother to read the thread ...

James

[dadvocate]

Wow unbelievable.




Shawn

[anthony2]

Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet

Yet another one that did not bother to read the thread ...

James

Someone who did not bother reading the comments that were made in this thread....

[Trieu]

I dont think you can rewrite other peoples work, unless its plr material

[anthony2]

Originally Posted by Teo

I dont think you can rewrite other peoples work, unless its plr material

When you do research on a topic....

you can take the important details for that topic, that you have

found across the internet/magazine etc.

Then create your own article from the information that you have found.

Then rewrite it in your own words. I don't see anything wrong with that.

I am not talking about just taking someones article or information and

then changing 20% of it then calling it yours.

[Troy_Phillips]

How can anyone possibly take a 1500 word article, read it ,call this research, rewrite it , and feel they have done the world a favor by shedding new light on a subject ?

Billy Bob cried .

Billy Bob wept .

Tears flowed , as if from some mystical river, from Billy Bob's eyes .

Now some on here would say that the first two examples are still copied because there is only a 50% difference .

This same crowd would say, since the later is 80% or more , the third sentence would be an original.

All basically just let you know that Billy Bob is emotional.

Billy Bob cried is the only original because it was written first . The other two , while changing the words , in no way change the meaning or sheds a unique light on the subject .

Now you could probably get by with sentence three. Will it really get someone who has researched Billy Bob to click the buy now button ?

[peter_act]

Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert

How would you "rewrite" Star Wars?

OK, how would you rewrite Romeo and Juliet?

You could call the Capulets the Jets and the Montagues the Sharks.
You could rename Romeo Tony and Juliet Maria
I think I'll change the location from Verona to New York's west side.
I could perhaps add a few songs as well.

I now have to think of a title - any ideas?

[rayray7]

It is unfortunate and discouraging to hear the advises given. grab an article, read it and write it in your own words. Personally, i just change each sentence, run it through copyscape and if it comes up clean, then i am done. Truth be told everyone copies. Nobody knows about everything.

Some on this topic have sites about eyecare and they are not doctors. Some have sites about blood pressure and they never went to medical school. If you do not want to keep spending money on copyscape, then buy CONTENT COMPOSER it has the plaigarism checker function.

Do not let people discourage you, everyone copies ideas for articles and most will simply deny it.

[peter_act]

Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert

How would you "rewrite" Star Wars?
You could rewrite it 80%. You could rewrite it 95%. You could rewrite it 100%. But, you know what,you're still going to get sued by George Lucas because it's still freakin' Star Wars!

Sorry Dan, but with this logic George should be sued by the executors of J.R.R. Tolkien!

[samanderson4]

You should use them as a reference and cite the source. If that does not work for you, you can always put what they wrote in your own words, summarize. Personal opinion, always be original.

[Paul Myers]

Truth be told everyone copies. Nobody knows about everything.

There's an easy answer to that: Don't write about things you don't know, unless you're doing a research piece, in which case you should cite your sources.

Not everyone copies. It's true that most ideas have been expressed before, but there's a large difference between an original piece on an old idea and a swipe of another person's work.

BTW... I highly recommend staying away from medical, psyhological and legal topics unless you really know what you're talking about. You can hurt someone badly screwing around with those things.


Paul

[butters]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

There's an easy answer to that: Don't write about things you don't know, unless you're doing a research piece, in which case you should cite your sources.

Not everyone copies. It's true that most ideas have been expressed before, but there's a large difference between an original piece on an old idea and a swipe of another person's work.

BTW... I highly recommend staying away from medical, psyhological and legal topics unless you really know what you're talking about. You can hurt someone badly screwing around with those things.


Paul

Lol so niche marketing is a load of crap? How many websites have you done where you know sod all about, at the beginning you were probably pumping them out.

[Paul Myers]

Lol so niche marketing is a load of crap?

Ummm... By what bizarre and circuitous route did you go from what I said to that ridiculous interpretation?

How many websites have you done where you know sod all about, at the beginning you were probably pumping them out.

Zero. Not one. Ever.


Paul

[butters]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Ummm... By what bizarre and circuitous route did you go from what I said to that ridiculous interpretation?Zero. Not one. Ever.


Paul

Whats the point of a very quick niche market? Quick and generates a trickle of income, do you really think that people should sit there and come up with some truely unique content for that market? That costs time and essentially costs you money.

So to your comment, "don't write things you don't know about.", what a load of crap, I can pull 4 articles into one and its 4 times better content then all them 4 other sites. Sure it shouldn't be flat out copy and pasted but come on, you can't seriously believe that you shouldn't write about things you know nothing about.

Heck that would mean forums would become boring.

(BTW your sig link page is blank for me)

[Allen Graves]

Come on guys - it's not frickin rocket science.

I you can look at yourself ethically and see some integrity and feel good about yourself and your business, then you shouldn't even have to ask.

If you do have to ask, perhaps you need to re-evaluate the way you produce your content because 9 times out of 10, it'll come right back and bite you in the a$$.

Allen

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by anthony2

Take the information you have read from the magazine and then

rewrite it an your own words...it is nothing wrong with that. Americans

we have been doing that for decades. From elementary to junior high to college and

beyond.

Originally Posted by anthony2

When you do research on a topic....

you can take the important details for that topic, that you have

found across the internet/magazine etc.

Then create your own article from the information that you have found.

Then rewrite it in your own words. I don't see anything wrong with that.

I am not talking about just taking someones article or information and

then changing 20% of it then calling it yours.

Anthony2, do you see the difference in your two posts? The first might be interpreted to say 'find a piece of material and then rewrite it in your own words'.

While most of us may have turned in a grade school report that we copied from an encyclopedia, we quickly learn that the practice is not acceptable as adults.

Your second post, on the other hand, describes research followed by original writing based on that research. It's still good form to cite your sources, unless you are describing personal experiences.

Doing so does not take away from your supposed expert status. And a side benefit of acknowledging your sources is you get an easy, painless way to bump your word count...

Originally Posted by butters

Lol so niche marketing is a load of crap? How many websites have you done where you know sod all about, at the beginning you were probably pumping them out.

Ooohhh, this is gonna be FUN! Get the popcorn...

[domainarama]

The purist deep down in all of us knows we should put ideas into our own words. Don't copy, don't cheat blah blah blah

But this is the age of the internet. People write brief articles, maybe 500 words. They take the articles and submit them to article directories. There are, what, 3000 article directories. Maybe 2999 article directories accept the article. The article is part of the vast collection of submissions to the directory. My goodness, each article directory has at least 10,000 articles. 10,000 x 3,000 = a huge reservoir of knowledge in article directories on the net.

Except we all know 98% of the articles in article directories on the net are rubbish. 98% of the articles are copies of copies of copies of spun articles. Just pick one topic: how many original ideas can the human brain have about applying for a loan? Yet I guarantee you that within the 3,000 article directories there are at least 300,000 article about how to apply for a loan. Each one is original, right? Gimme a break!

I think Google is like a politician. It says one thing and does the other. It says it wants original content. It doesn't penalize duplicate content, it just ignores it. But it gives very high page rank and other good marks to article directories like EZA etc which contain nothing but repetitions and repetitions of stolen, spun articles. In other words, Google slaps the little gal or guy who writes ten barely original article, but it supports and gives cred to the swill that slops around in most article directories. Sheesh.

[Allen Graves]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

BTW... I highly recommend staying away from medical, psyhological and legal topics unless you really know what you're talking about. You can hurt someone badly screwing around with those things.

I agree.

I would also add Financial to the short list!

Allen

Originally Posted by Allen Graves

Come on guys - it's not frickin rocket science.

I you can look at yourself ethically and see some integrity and feel good about yourself and your business, then you shouldn't even have to ask.

If you do have to ask, perhaps you need to re-evaluate the way you produce your content because 9 times out of 10, it'll come right back and bite you in the a$$.

Allen

Fully agree Allen ....

@domainarama - Dude do not assume all article directories are the same just because you have seen some trashy ones.. Not a very good thing to do on this forum and especially since you are very new..

James

[Tina Golden]

What Google or the article directories think is beside the point. The point is that legally you cannot take an article and rewrite it.

Do people do it anyway to make a quick buck? Sure.

Does that make it okay because others are doing it? Nope.

Have several people in this thread just painted themselves with the tar brush that will carry over into other aspects of their business? Yup.

Some of us write by researching our facts through several sources and then coming up with our own unique perspective on the topic. What a novel idea.

If you can't come up with an original thought, ethics are not the only thing you should be worried about.

Tina