When I first started my website and business, I worked with a branding company and labored over every word and every choice. I wanted my site to be a reflection of me, my experience and personality.
Imagine my surprise when my About Page description showed up on someone else’s site. Sure, they changed it to their name and replaced a couple of other words to include their experience and not mine. Overall, they didn’t change much. They just ripped me off.
A lawyer was out of the question – I didn’t have the money for that. On top of it, I knew the person. Instead of saying something, I changed my About Page and got angry. Today I stumbled across their site again and marveled at my words jumping off the screen. I even found my original page and text to make sure my memory wasn’t faulty. Nope.
Kind of the age-old question about the tree falling in the forest but no one is around to hear it. Does it make a sound?
I took down my original page and content while they kept up the stuff they stole from me for years now.
Does that suddenly make it original?
Um. No. The tone, words, rhythm, and ideas are still mine.
Is it still plagiarism if the proof is gone?
My emphatic answer is yes.
Did getting angry and frustrated help?
Clearly not.
Yeah, I get that it was just my About Page but it’s just one example of many. Yes, I could have said something but a confrontation seemed out of the question at the time. Looking back, despite my hurt and anger, I should have found the words.
Ethics and Integrity Matter. Plagiarism Matters.
If you’re going to engage a coach or consultant, you’re not going to run through a site to assess if they words they use are unique – so few are these days. However, think about it. Do the words match the person? Is it a reflection of who they are or does something in your gut tell you something’s off? Do the words they use sound shockingly familiar? Like something you’ve read somewhere else? Integrity and ethics are paramount in building trust which is the cornerstone of every relationship.
I see it all the time on social media too: Beautiful images with famous quotes with no attribution. Tweets with one word changed, and we’re supposed to forget that we know the original source. People are taking credit for other people’s work. Some of the people who are the worst offenders are wildly successful too.
Do you want to work with someone because they’re popular? If that’s your primary driver, you should stop reading now. If it’s one of many reasons, then you’re considering a bigger picture. When you notice false ownership, let that tell you something about who they are and make a choice not to engage them.
In today’s online world, we can all be anyone, say anything and claim what we want. Thing is, when we’re buyers, we need to consider who they are, experience, the value they bring, and not just their image. As individuals and business owners we need to show the world who we are through our words, thoughts, and actions.
[Tweet “Plagiarism is a problem and it shouldn’t be rewarded. #life #leadership”]
As a future customer:
Do your due diligence.
Don’t reward plagiarism.
Before you engage based on popularity or wit and wisdom, have a conversation.
As a business owner or individual:
Don’t steal other people’s work.
Remember, permission and attribution still apply even in the Internet Age.
Be ethical. Be someone of strong character.
What do you think?
Have you noticed that attribution is often omitted based on the tiniest of changes in the wording?
Do you think it’s plagiarism and stealing or am I overstating the issue?
Hi Alli,
I’ve had entire blog posts of mine show up elsewhere. It is frustrating and challenging. I have tracked down in most cases and requested the leaders of the companies take the info down.
What surprised me the most is that staff members in those companies didn’t realize they were doing anything wrong! It made me realize that some aren’t being taught about plagiarism and copyrights etc…
Bravo to your post for raising the issue. Every time we speak about it, some may realize they must teach students in school and employees in companies.
Kate
Stinks that happened to you but I’m alarmed that people didn’t know it was a problem. I’ve also seen sites share people’s posts (mine included) and asked for permission after it was up. I approved the use but had a friend who did not and asked that it be taken down immediately.
I also know a young woman who likes posting motivational quotes on Instagram and would pull images from Google to go with it. She didn’t realize that you couldn’t do that without attribution. Now she uses other sources that give permission and/or credits them.
It really does take a moment to stop and think – Is this my work? If not, credit is essential and so is advanced permission – the answer is not always “yes!”
Thanks, Kate!
Alli
I’ve been in situations where bloggers have stolen out artwork (including cropping off our copyright). It’s frustrating and can make me very angry. On the other hand, It’s considered to be an acceptable practice to use someone else’s drawing as an inspiration for something you are drawing. A straight up copy without attribution really shouldn’t be acceptable to anyone. When it comes to word phrases, sometimes you just don’t know who said it. You can look up quotes through some sources; but, even that can be confusing sometimes.
Copying your page straight up (even with a few tweaks) just doesn’t seem right. I can totally agree with that. Have you considered asking that person to take it down? We haven’t always been successful in getting a thief to take out work down; but, we’ve had several instances where we were successful in doing so. We wrote a straight up take down notice with no emotion or nonsense. Most of the time, that works.
Inspiration vs cropping off your copyright. Yikes!
You’re right, oftentimes there are quotes out there that have become so common that we have no idea who said it first (and some people just don’t want to plug it into Google to check). Still, “unknown” works if it’s not our words.
I’ve also seen quotes that are from books and famous sources that other’s credit to themselves. That’s worse to me than no source at all. Maybe… (as I type I’m thinking that over :))
The person who copied my page even capitalized the same words I had in caps. So silly. I did think of bringing it up and also noticed that since that happened, they have done it to others. They’ve shared concepts that are clearly linked to another person without crediting the original source. I’ve changed my page and like it but seeing their’s again reminded me that even people we think we know and have a relationship with don’t always make a good choice or understand “ownership” of words and ideas.
Thanks for your support, suggestions and sharing your experience!
Alli
Ah yes, an age old problem. Here are my thoughts. You asked!
As a student I was trained to give credit where credit was due either by using quotations and the source; using footnotes in research; and calling out those who seemed to be intentionally “stealing” someone else’s work. Then I learned that there is nothing new under the sun and that while we may try to be original there’s often someone else who has done or said something very similar. I know that imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery. See how I changed one word? Who knew that Charles Caleb Cotton probably said it first? Who cares? And I like this one even better, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness” (Oscar Wilde) So finally I subscribed to this:
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
That is attributed to Harry S. Truman. It was also used by Ronald Reagan. Here’s what rubs me the wrong way. Someone who knowingly steals from someone else and is happy to take the credit. I have a classic example ready at hand and have referenced it when I see it. My intention is not to embarrass a dead man or his family but to go back to my original thought. Let’s be honest about the source when we can. There’s a famous quote: “We are like dwarves perched on the shoulders of giants, and thus we are able to see more and farther than the latter.” The 12th century French philosopher Bernard of Chartes is the source. Five hundred years later, English scientist Sir Isaac Newton paraphrased that thought in a letter, “If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants.”
I began today by waking up with the thought that “I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” attributed to ETIENNE DE GRELLET a Quaker missionary. The point is not so much what is said or by whom or when but rather how my life is shaped and influenced by what I believe regardless who said it first.
Quaker missionary
You’re awesome. Let’s just pause there for a second.
Ok.
I’m with you. I know that I’ve written things that I’m sure are inspired by others. The problem is when we do it knowingly and intentionally and it’s more than inspiration but wisdom repackaged.
There are quotes out there that as you point out can be attributed to multiple people but one thing I know is that I can’t attribute them to me.
A cut and paste of large pieces of information isn’t inspiration.
I know I’ve RT’d stuff that I shouldn’t. I’m not perfect but believe we all can and should do better.
“Let’s be honest about the source when we can” is a great place to start. That one all yours? 😉
Thanks, Gary!
Alli
Whoa! I am far from awesome but thanks for the compliment. You’re pretty amazing yourself. Yes, that one about being honest about the source when we can is mine as far as I know. We have to start somewhere and I’m all for your suggestions about attributions. The plague of the internet has exacerbated the problem, with words often flying around aimlessly, sometimes strung together from a variety of sources too numerous to mention. A recent course I took from Malcolm Gladwell on writing clarified a lot for me and since I write in a number of different venues, to different audiences for different purposes, I try to be very careful. And, I’m sure I make mistakes and overlook something even through the editing process. Let’s continue to do the best we can, give credit where it’s due and know that others will make mistakes too, sometimes consciously, sometimes unintentionally. Coming from an academic environment, where we were schooled carefully about attributions, my hope is that the practice continues for the good of all. Thanks, again.
Fantastic and authentic post that really resonates with me. I think that people aren’t aware of what they are doing when they use images that they found, especially in their blogs. This is my take. I try not to worry about what other people are using of mine. When I see my words or work in other people’s venues I sigh but move on. I can only control what I share.
Thanks Alli and will definitely share your important post!
People think if it’s on Google, they can use it. There are tons of images on people’s blogs that should not be there – no attribution and no permission and they didn’t buy it to get the rights. Interesting that at my child’s school they use a plagiarism checker but don’t teach the kids not to pull images and use them. (Lucky they have me, huh?)
I’ve seen things that I swear are practically mine. Phrases and sentences that I authored. Like you, I move on most of the time. When it’s pages and even the italics and caps are used, I feel like they should get a life and let their creativity shine through. It’s sad that they needed to take someone else’s.
Appreciate you, Terri!
Alli
What a rip off — right from your page, italics, bold font, and all — amazing !! So sorry this happened to you.
Regarding honest work, I have gotten excited several times with what I thought were quite original ideas and models, only to feel deflated later when faced with the reality that there is truly nothing new in this world. But at least there is the authentic perspective each of us can bring to the ideas.
Even with due diligence, we may not catch everything. I’m curious as to what resources others use to help them. I have only been doing simple searches with Google.
You’re right, Cindy. There’s not a lot of completely new ideas out there but the way each one of us says it, feels it, and expresses it is absolutely unique. Our perspectives matter.
When I find a quote that feels super familiar, I’ll run it through Google before I assume it’s my wit and wisdom. Like you, I haven’t found a lot of other resources out there.
Thanks so much for taking the time to add your perspective on this!
Alli
Always refreshing to read your posts!
I absolutely loved this post because I feel that it is something we need to think about in this day of social media and digital connection. If I need to know something, I just google it. If I need an image to tell a story in a training, I often look for generic, unbranded images…again on Google.
I had a fun run on Twitter until I realized that many of my “leadership” tweets were regurgitated ideas and images of quotes that were in alignment with my thoughts. While I was crafting the message from my own perspectives, I was using someone else’s artwork and quotes. After seeing it over and over again, from many others, I started to realize that I wasn’t giving proper credit and this work wasn’t truly mine. So now I focus on building my own training work, and delivering it to my audience at the company I work for. Its far more rewarding to know what I am delivering is my work enhanced with properly attributed, key points from the many wonderful leaders out there whom I’ve learned so much from.
It’s so disappointing to know that others would steal your work, I’m proud to say how much I’ve learned from you!!
Thanks for putting this out there in the universe. Particularly for the Millennials who live and breathe social media. 🙂
Your comment means a lot to me, Carla. I appreciate that you find it rewarding to deliver work that credits the people who inspired you. So many of us read books, blogs, tweets etc and like you wrote, they shape our perspectives. At some point, it’s easy to forget where our insights start and their’s end. Inspired by and ripping off can have a fine line but it’s awareness that makes all of the difference. Each of us needs to live with our decisions. I continue to appreciate you and the way you choose to observe, change and live your life.
With gratitude,
Alli