Comments on: Why Your Copyright Protection is Second Rate

By: A Realistic Look at Orphan Works | PlagiarismToday

A Realistic Look at Orphan Works | PlagiarismToday — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:34:53 +0000

[...] to do anything to ensure that their work receives full protection under the law. While that has never been completely true, the orphan works bill could give rise to new copyright formalities, including, quite possibly, [...]

By: Why Most Spam Blogs are American - PlagiarismToday

Why Most Spam Blogs are American - PlagiarismToday — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:37:44 +0000

[...] Cooperative Hosts: Despite the laws in the U.S. that prohibit this, there are still no shortage of lesser-known hosts that will gladly turn a blind eye to spam and copyright infringement. These hosts can typically get away with it because U.S. law makes it so difficult to sue for copyright infringement. [...]

By: Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:36:15 +0000

Kat,

I might be able to help you but I would need to see the URLs involved before I could say much of anything. Please email me at jonathan at plagiarismtoday dot com and I’ll see what I can do.

Hope I’m able to help.

By: Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:36:15 +0000

Kat,

I might be able to help you but I would need to see the URLs involved before I could say much of anything. Please email me at jonathan at plagiarismtoday dot com and I'll see what I can do.

Hope I'm able to help.

By: Kat

Kat — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:29:24 +0000

Hi J, I’ve been a past commentator, specifically asking you about copyrights when people in other countries take articles and simply translate them into different languages. You’ve been extremely helpful, and I’ve always felt like you were on our side. I read this because I just don’t see how it’s possible to register every single article when the cost (while not exorbitant) cuts into the fee I earn per article. Plus, what happens if I register an article in the U.S. and the infringement occurs in Greece, where I now work, or Australia?

My site is registered in the USA, but I write from Greece. This week has not been a good one, plagiarism-wise. I first found the Consulate General had lifted two of my articles (or at least, that’s all I’ve found so far) without attribution or permission, then a local Greek newspaper lifted a different article from my site without even mentioning where they took the data and text featured on a full page of their Sunday edition. Beyond the first sentence insulting Americans (which I am), the article is simply a Greek translation of my text.

Do you have any specific advice on confronting a diplomatic mission in Australia?

I have a clear copyright notice on my site and can prove they belong to me, but none of these articles is registered and I’m not sure that would necessarily help. Would love to receive your input either here or via e-mail. Many thanks in advance for reading this and any help you can dispense. If you don’t have time, I totally understand because time is a precious commodity.

By: Kat

Kat — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:29:24 +0000

Hi J, I've been a past commentator, specifically asking you about copyrights when people in other countries take articles and simply translate them into different languages. You've been extremely helpful, and I've always felt like you were on our side. I read this because I just don't see how it's possible to register every single article when the cost (while not exorbitant) cuts into the fee I earn per article. Plus, what happens if I register an article in the U.S. and the infringement occurs in Greece, where I now work, or Australia?

My site is registered in the USA, but I write from Greece. This week has not been a good one, plagiarism-wise. I first found the Consulate General had lifted two of my articles (or at least, that's all I've found so far) without attribution or permission, then a local Greek newspaper lifted a different article from my site without even mentioning where they took the data and text featured on a full page of their Sunday edition. Beyond the first sentence insulting Americans (which I am), the article is simply a Greek translation of my text.

Do you have any specific advice on confronting a diplomatic mission in Australia?

I have a clear copyright notice on my site and can prove they belong to me, but none of these articles is registered and I'm not sure that would necessarily help. Would love to receive your input either here or via e-mail. Many thanks in advance for reading this and any help you can dispense. If you don't have time, I totally understand because time is a precious commodity.

By: The Problem With Fighting Plagiarism - PlagiarismToday

The Problem With Fighting Plagiarism - PlagiarismToday — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:37:59 +0000

[...] they realize that there is very little chance of them being sued. Though much of this is due to the nature of copyright law in the United States, one would hope that there would be other methods of holding hosts accountable other than lawsuits. [...]

By: PlagiarismToday - » Should You Register Your Site’s Copyright?

PlagiarismToday - » Should You Register Your Site’s Copyright? — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:28:38 +0000

[...] as we have discussed before, the registration system does not fit neatly with the realities of the Web and even their new electronic system does not bring the service up to modern [...]

By: Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:22:50 +0000

Lloyd: I have to agree with your professor that law is a poor enforcer of morality. Look at the war on drugs and prostitution for that. One could even claim file sharing falls under that umbrella.

Of course, the problem is that attribution really is not what I consider a purely moral issue. It is a moral issue in the legal sense, meaning that it is a social norm not enforced by law, but it is not a moral in that there is an injured party.

For example, one might consider me immoral if I drink on weekends at home. However, there is no victim. If I drive and put people’s lives in risk or injure someone, then there is a victim and the law steps in. The classic adage of the government being there to protect us from others, not ourselves, comes into play.

On the flip side, if someone copies my work but fails to attribute it, that injures me by depriving me the reputation benefit and the readership. In that way, I kind of regard moral rights as a misnomer. Yes, they are moral rights in that following them is the moral thing to do, but stealing cars is immoral too.

Anyway, you’ll have to let me know how the dialog continues, I’ll be interested to hear. Thank you again for posting!

By: Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:22:50 +0000

Lloyd: I have to agree with your professor that law is a poor enforcer of morality. Look at the war on drugs and prostitution for that. One could even claim file sharing falls under that umbrella.

Of course, the problem is that attribution really is not what I consider a purely moral issue. It is a moral issue in the legal sense, meaning that it is a social norm not enforced by law, but it is not a moral in that there is an injured party.

For example, one might consider me immoral if I drink on weekends at home. However, there is no victim. If I drive and put people's lives in risk or injure someone, then there is a victim and the law steps in. The classic adage of the government being there to protect us from others, not ourselves, comes into play.

On the flip side, if someone copies my work but fails to attribute it, that injures me by depriving me the reputation benefit and the readership. In that way, I kind of regard moral rights as a misnomer. Yes, they are moral rights in that following them is the moral thing to do, but stealing cars is immoral too.

Anyway, you'll have to let me know how the dialog continues, I'll be interested to hear. Thank you again for posting!