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I this legal?

by man_xtz
19 replies
Fellow warriors, a guy hired me to write him articles. The deal is to search ezinearticle for an article about the keyword he gives me and just rewrite it
Is this legal, ethical?
#legal
  • Profile picture of the author deu12000
    Is it legal...maybe, you are rewriting it so none of the text is the same. It might also be considered plagiarism because you are basically using someone elses ideas. Is it ethical...depends on your ethics.

    Edit: Just to be less ambiguous I do use re-written content all the time. What's right for one isn't right for someone else.
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  • Profile picture of the author man_xtz
    What if I am Honest?
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    • Profile picture of the author Jim Burney
      If it does not 'feel right' for you, Do Not do it.

      Jim
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    • Profile picture of the author TNAM
      I'm totally new, so you can take this with a grain of salt. In learning about IM, I have read over and over again that people check out ezine articles, and rewrite them. Some people just use a few bits and pieces of the information to form their own unique article, mainly benefiting from the other person's research, while other people rewrite the entire article. Some people will say it's definitely not ethical, some will say it's a gray area, and others will say it's ok as long as you rewrite it in your own words, or from your own point of view.

      The fact that you're having a hard time reconciling yourself with the idea of rewriting another person's article might mean that it's not right for you. Only you can decide what's ethical and honest in your eyes. If you don't feel right about it before rewriting the article, how do you think you will feel after you have done it?

      I guess you can ask yourself some questions that might help you make a decision. How bad do you need the money you will get from writing the article? Will your client let you write a unique article without using another person's content? Knowing yourself as you do, will you feel even more uncomfortable about this after you have written the article? Will the ethical or legal implications of this cause you to lose sleep at night, or possibly lose some respect for yourself?

      This is just my opinion, but I really don't think this forum is the best place to ask for legal advice. Of course, it's certainly possible that there might be a few lawyers in the crowd.
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      • Profile picture of the author Chris Drinkwater
        Legal yes... Do you feel good about it? Does the internet need another spun article? Do you want to be a cog in this guys wheel? What would you rather do?
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  • Profile picture of the author Charles Washington
    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...uPmrytz7H8h4rr
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  • Profile picture of the author Louise Green
    Trust your gut. If it feels wrong to you, don't do it.

    Your gut always knows.
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  • Profile picture of the author vfelcett
    It is legal to do because if you re-write the article in your own words then you can call it your own. However, I would mostly use someone elses article as a guideline and make one yourself...not totally copy someone elses and just change some words around...
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    • Profile picture of the author SantiSantana
      You can perfectly do something like that if, say you want to express a different point of view or add something to that article. You quote the article as a source and comment on it.

      IF you quote that article (preferably link to to it) and then develop the idea you want to extract form it, or the differing point of view, you will be contributing in a healthy discussion.

      It is probably a good idea to first seek consent to use it as a source though.
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  • Profile picture of the author mr2monster
    There's a difference between going to ezinearticles and "spinning" an article, and using ezinearticles to help research a new article...
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  • Profile picture of the author john_luckfield
    The all important Question...

    Do I go ahead and service the client knowing that my actions may not carry with them 100% honesty and integrity??

    or

    Do I possibly rethink and change my approach while at same time RISKING THE SALE?

    Remember if YOU will a FELLOW of OUR own Fellow marketers whom decided that BLACK HAt or Not they were going to grow their BUSINESS REGARDLESS...

    So WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM YOU MIGHT ASK?? It wasn't the best and involved a Judge and a courtroom??

    Just remember Ur building and ESTABLISHING essentially Your LONG TERM BUSINESS and YOUR CREDIBILITY online..

    Just a thought..
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  • Profile picture of the author man_xtz
    I refused the job guys. I will only accept rewriting jobs if the employer will provide me with his original one. I asked my self, what if someone grabbed your article that you made research to write it and use as his own? I think the answer was clear enough to me
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  • Profile picture of the author DogScout
    If you say that the original article 'inspired' your article; it is a derivative as indicated by the Mcaffrey vs Dreslough ruling

    A painter of dragons (Dee Dreslough) said she was inspired by Anne Mcaffrey. Her dragons looked nothing like Anne described nor like any used on any of her book covers. She was convicted on her own testimony that Anne's dragon were her inspiration. The judge allegedly said if not for that statement, she would not have been found guilty.

    Dreslough.com - The Home of Dee Dreslough's Artwork and Novel!

    (but of course, do not take legal advice from here.)
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
    Originally Posted by man_xtz View Post

    Fellow warriors, a guy hired me to write him articles. The deal is to search ezinearticle for an article about the keyword he gives me and just rewrite it
    Is this legal, ethical?
    That sounds harder than writing a fresh new one with your own research.
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    Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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  • Profile picture of the author jimn10
    Here is my 2 cents worth.

    If you are not already an expert on a topic you are going to have to educate yourself from somewhere or just limit yourself to topics where you are an expert.

    If you follow the logic from some of the posts in this thread you would basically be limited to the point that you would never be able to write on any topic that you had ever read anything about without being a plagurist.

    If you follow that logic, you are probably in the wrong business...
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  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    Originally Posted by precious007 View Post

    Use a dupe software .. if your article passes then you're not doing anything unethical or illegal..

    Al.

    That is dangerously wrong. I'm sure I could stomp all over someone's copyright while still passing the dupe software test.

    Of course IANAL and one shouldn't take legal advice on a forum.

    Cheers,
    Becky
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