Another Reason For Authors To Fear Google Book Search: It Will Reveal Plenty Of Plagiarists
from the ah,-technology-at-work dept
While some book authors and publishers have come to embrace Google's book search, many are still fighting it. While the reason, for many, is fear that their own copyrights are violated in not being compensated by Google for the project, perhaps others are worried about a different copyright infringement issue. Paul Collins at Slate is predicting that Google's book search will help turn up plenty of plagiarists, including (he expects) some well known authors. He comes to this conclusion after a science writer was accused of plagiarism recently, and immediately accused his accuser of simply putting every sentence in his book into Google and finding some close matches. Collins, however, also notes that plagiarism has a long history among book authors, pointing out that Herman Melville apparently plagiarized sections of other books for his famous novel, Moby Dick. He also points to a friend who accidentally discovered a plagiarized passage using Google's book search... and then discovered that the "original" author of the piece he was looking for had plagiarized texts himself. We recently wondered why plagiarists often seemed so blatant in copying content that was easily findable online -- but just imagine how many others may have copied from various books assuming the same searching capabilities would never be present to call out their misdeeds? Once again, though, perhaps it will renew the debate over whether or not plagiarism is always such a bad thing.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Sometimes ya just gotta take the attitude
I discovered thatt a site in New Zealand had plagiarized my entire web developmen web site by using CopyScape. I was shocked and horrified.
I was more shocked by how expensive it was going to be to enforce my rights. OUCH!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
yeah it's tough
anyway, after calling the number in the WHOIS and getting no answer, I made a call to the host and had it pulled. The kid actually tried pressing charges against me!!
As a book author myself, I had to fight to get into google book search. It's great for sales. I can't see why people wouldn't want to be listed in it. Nobody is going to read your book through it, and it only has the potential to increase sales.
i'm also of the opinion that anything that prevents plagiarism is a good thing.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Plagiarism - The new patent hoarding
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Plagiarism - The new patent hoarding
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Plagiarism got me a B
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Plagiarism got me a B
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
exagerrated link description
In context, the post leaves little doubt over this guys guilt... Luckily I clicked the link, which is actually an editorial by the author rebutting the original plagiarism charge printed earlier in the Wash Post. His argument is convincing enough for me.
Not only are these quotes convincing to me, but they make a great point: What if the web site in question actually plagiarized him???
"...and the search resulted in two short sentences that he claimed appeared on a Web site. Even the two sentences he found were in no way identical to the ones in my book."
"Every time a book of mine is published, roughly 10,000 new Web pages are created or modified, and as we all know (although apparently the journalism professor does not), Web pages proliferate and copy from each other without restriction."
Sounds like this guy already has enough FUD thrown at him, no need to ignorantly throw more.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Woah
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Politicians
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
My favorite plagiarism claim
http://www.jefflindsay.com/bomsource.shtml
The simple fact is this: Walt Whitman is surely the best nineteenth-century candidate ever proposed for Book of Mormon plagiarism, offering parallels far richer than other writers and scholars have proposed using other texts.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
bla...
the only way were going to stop plagiarists is if we start choping there hands off when we catch them. that way they cant type or write copyrighted material. of course this will never happen becuase the first crazy plagierizing liberal who suddenly finds his hands missing is going to start screaming about excesive punishment.
as far as i know china has been chopping the hands off theifs for centuries, and as far as i know china has been very successfull with this sort of thing.
so untill the hands come off, plagiarism is here to stay.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
wha...
the only way were going to stop plagiarists is if we start chopping off their hands when we catch them. This way, they'll be unable to type or write copyrighted material. Clearly this will never happen becuase the first angry plagiarizing liberal that suddenly finds his hands missing will start screaming about excessive punishment.
From what I gather, China has been chopping the hands off of theives for centuries. As far as i know they've been very successfull with this sort of thing.
so untill the hands come off, plagiarism is here to stay.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
lol...
besides, isn't reposting my writing with some slight changes a form of plagierism?
so yes, three cheers for "mockfan" for mocking somebody with dislexia. i wonder if he mocks cripples as well as people with learning problems. probably not considering he have do it face to face with a cripple.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: lol...
I didn't see any of your words inverted, so stop being so sensitive. He didn't know you were dyslexic, he just thought you were a moron by the words you chose to use and the way you phrased them.
By the way, why would he have to make fun of a cripple face-to-face? Couldn't he do it online or behind his back like everybody else does?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: lol...
Besides, isn't reposting my writing with some slight changes a form of plagiarism?
So yes, three cheers for "mockfan" for mocking somebody with dyslexia. i wonder if he mocks cripples as well as people with learning problems. Probably not considering he has to do it face to face with a cripple.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It doesnt ALWAYS pay to be a smartass...
In my mind, a certain amount of material theft is to be expected especially if what you have to say is worth the paper its printed on. Sometimes good ideas spread like wildfire...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Out Loud I am Laughing...
A form of plagerism, besides, is it not, reposting my writing with some slight changes?
So yes, for mocking somebody with dyslexia three cheers will "mockfan" have. Wonder, I do, cripples and retards also he mocks?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Well....
- Pablo Picasso
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
How will Google deal copyright issues?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
apologies rockfan
The comedic value depended on my post appearing immediately after yours, so that explains why my edits tapered toward the end (clock was ticking). "Mockfan" simply being a convenient play off your handle + plagiarism.
Seriously folks, lets get over ourselves already...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]