Comments on: Michele Schalin is a plagiarist

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:12:32 +0000

Is there not some kind of magic software that will just scour the internet for you looking for snippets of your words? Or do you really have to wait until a reader of both your site and the less-favorable points it out?

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:14:06 +0000

Don’t worry, Eric: The job isn’t as great as people think it is, since some irresponsible dummies are ripping you off all the time.

By: Jettboy

Jettboy — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:24:39 +0000

Plagiarism with movie reviews has got to be the laziest writing ever. It is mostly a person’s opinion anyway. Really, it takes about two hours to watch and the same amount of time to put down your thoughts. The only thing I can think of is she couldn’t afford the tickets to all the movies. If that is the case, it wouldn’t be too hard to write about how expensive it is to watch what no sane person wants to see. Yes Erik, you are insane.

By: Biff Miffle

Biff Miffle — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:34:44 +0000

Sean,

Plagiarism = copying something and calling it your own work.
Copyright infringement = copying something that’s copyrighted.

So yes, there is some overlap between copyright infringement and plagiarism, and yes, they can be identical. However, if you put “plagiarism” as a cause of action in a Complaint, it could be dismissed, as there is no such thing as a cause of action for “plagiarism” (certainly not under Title 17). Frankly, in a lot of situations where plagiarism comes up (i.e. in the world of academia), the plagiarism could easily be argued as fair use (such as for an educational purpose), and therefore not copyright infringement. Not the best argument to distinguish the two (I realize that). In any case, my only point was if you’re going to send a cease and desist letter, might as well make it a little more threatening.

As for the rest of your post, I have no comment on that, nor do I really want to get into a legal debate about the best course of action under the circumstances. Eric already knew what to do, so my thoughts were kind of unnecessary (which I’ve come to realize is true of almost all comments on any online article or blog…. Maybe I should stop making them).

By: Scott B.

Scott B. — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:00:14 +0000

Well. Now the site doesn’t even have an attractive “Maintenance” message–it’s just a blank white screen.

I hope you’re happy, Eric. The interweb is whiter because of you!

By: momma snider

momma snider — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:53:05 +0000

I used to write my papers with the encyclopedia open next to me, but as early as 5th grade I knew how to change the words so it didn’t sound like I was copying. So I’m appalled for her as well as at her.

By: Sean Crandall

Sean Crandall — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:25:21 +0000

Carolyn,

Welln, now that you bring it up, actually my mom is a lawyer.

(Not really, but it seemed like the right thing to say. Like I knew this guy once, and somebody said, “Your momma wears combat boots,” and it turns out his mom was in the army, so actually, yeah, she did.)

By: Stephen M (Ethesis)

Stephen M (Ethesis) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 13:42:10 +0000

All I can say is that for many kids, writing papers in high school consists of doing exactly what she did. /Sigh.

By: Phil Cardenas

Phil Cardenas — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 13:29:27 +0000

Alright, stop it with the “plagiarist” comments. But I have laughed uncontrollably with each passing one…As a teacher, I see stuff like this all the time–students are sadly the worst culprits–and with each day I’m getting closer and closer to requesting that I teach an elective class on ethics and morality at my high school. Hoping I get to do that one day.

By: rob

rob — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:10:46 +0000

In terms of an occupation, reviewing motion pictures falls short of one’s expectations in light of the not uncommon appropriation of one’s verbiage by unseemly ne’er-do-wells.