Apparently, my blog has been linked to on another website. Not just the link, but everything I've written. There is nothing on the website that indicates that the work is mine, there are no citations to my work, and there is nothing that even gives my name. Instead, the work that I put into creating and maintaining this blog is being used to benefit someone else with absolutely no approval by me.
Now, I know in the blogworld plagiarism is tolerated and, in some cases, encouraged. But I can't imagine any situation where blatant copyright infringement without even so much as a request to republish would stand.
This brings me to my problem. I actually like the guys who put the website up. I don't object to a link to my site. I would enjoy seeing more people read and comment on what I have to say. I can't, however, accept that my friends would take unilateral action to plagiarize and use copyrighted work without permission without considering the ramifications.
First, it's stealing.
Second, my views on the world may not comport to what the website's views are. My values may not match theirs, and now, I've become an unwitting spokesperson for the entire group. This means that if I say something objectionable, say "I think we should impeach President Bush and kick his dog," people would associate that with the aggregate. (I don't propose we should impeach Bush, and it makes me ill to think about kicking a dog. Kicking a cat, on the other hand, is quite funny to imagine.)
Third, Copyright laws exist for a reason.
Fourth, permission is easy enough to get. All you have to do is ask; don't take unilateral action. All you've done now is damaged a relationship.
People, linking to sites is one thing. Sharing ideas is terrific. Stealing one person's work and publishing it on your site without permission is wrong, and can get you in serious trouble. Think before you infringe on someone's work.
3 comments:
Ooh, I wish they were in my class. They'd get slapped with a zero so fast it would make their heads spin, and have to listen to my lecture on stealing and lying, as well.
How did you find out?
LOL @ Amy..Yikes! Steve that sounds rather shocking. Have you actually questioned them about it??
I agree with the former comment, however I don't think flagging an account actually initiates any type of action.
Someone told me that when the Blogger wizards receive a FLAG notice, they read through comments to see if the general consensus merits removal of the post (or in some cases, the entire blog) in question.
Steve, what WOULD the ramifications of doing something like that be?
And lastly, I just cannot understand why a simple parenthesis applying proper credit of ownership couldn't be installed! How much work (on the blogger's part)does that take for pete's sake?
How DID you find out?
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