Plagiarism in The Evil Within - Trevor Marriott (moved discussion)

[Ally]

Actually he has broken laws. Copyright laws. Copying entire essays from other people, putting them in a book you sell for money violates fair use, violates non-commercial, violates, well everything related to copyright law.

Laws have actually been broken.

[lynn cates]

methodology

Hello Mike. Thanks.

You would agree, then, that sloppy/lazy research ought to be corrected? Then we are in league.

You may also agree about proper, as opposed to improper, methodology being utilised in that correction? If so, again, we are one.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

Fair Use

Hello Ally. Thanks.

If that's correct, then, of course, that is a different matter. But my understanding is that, to count as a breach of copyright law, one must pass the original work off as one's own--without a mention of the original author.

And I agree that this does not fall under "Fair Use." Much of that doctrine applies to professors teaching in a class room and comedians doing parody.

Cheers.
LC

[Ally]

No. You are confusing plagiarism with copyright. Plagiarism is an attempt to pass off the work as your own (which he did) but we are talking about copyright law and that is different. First there doesn't need to be an attempt to pass the work off as your own. I can publish a book written by someone else and actually put the author's name on there as the writer, but if all the money goes in my pocket and not his, and I don't have his permission to publish his work, I have still stolen from him. I have broken the law.

Mentioning the author is not enough. In the above example, that is a case where I even SAY it's written by the author and I have still broken the law. Trevor just said hey guys thanks for all your help and didn't say that Chapter 2 was written by Paul Kidd, Chapter 3 was written by So and So. That was plagiarism. So he is guilty of both plagiarism and copyright violations, the latter being where the law is broken.

[Phil H]

Just out of curiosity Phil (and going off-topic), what would your opinion be on a private board, visible and accessible only to serious researchers where ideas could be shared out of the public view, debated and expanded upon until all parties were satisfied and then those threads locked and published?

This thread seems to have moved on to other matters.

I'd be happy to discuss your proposal - maybe you should open a specific thread and others could participate. I'm not a researcher and something of a dilettante (some might say), so I might not get invited into such a "private board"!!! But I think there could be other options.

Phil

[Ally]

There ya go Phil:

http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?t=7555

[lynn cates]

copyright law

Hello Ally. Thanks.

My knowledge of copyright law involves mostly Fair Use and Public Domain. I am not entirely familiar with percentages of pre-existing works allowed.

As I say, laws are not the same as morals. And it does behoove an author to keep up with laws.

Cheers.
LC

[Colin Roberts]

I caught a student once, in an electronic class, who merely copied and pasted another student's post. I sent a private message asking why she had done this. She came clean and received a zero for that assignment.

By rule I am forbidden to post a message in the classroom along the lines of, "Did you see what "Mary" did? What vermin! What ought to be done to her?" (Fantasies don't count--heh-heh.)

At my alma mater - The University of the South; Sewanee, Tennessee - any such violation of the Honor Code would be addressed by an adjudication of the Student Honor Council. The most likely outcome would be expulsion from the university.

[lynn cates]

In the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Hello Colin. Thanks.

We do have a bit of discretion, but a council is even better. Multiple heads.

Cheers.
LC

[Colin Roberts]

We do have a bit of discretion, but a council is even better. Multiple heads.

What I would emphasize in this instance, Lynn, is that the council would consist entirely of students; i.e. peers of the accused.

---

Sewanee, by the way, is the proud owner of eight bells that were cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry:


Breslin Tower, The University of the South; Sewanee, Tennessee; 2007 (Click Image, to Enlarge in flickr)



"2003 Whitechapel": Breslin Tower, The University of the South; Sewanee, Tennessee; 2007 (Click Image, to Enlarge in flickr)

[Chris]

If that's correct, then, of course, that is a different matter. But my understanding is that, to count as a breach of copyright law, one must pass the original work off as one's own--without a mention of the original author.

Of course Ally is right that copyright law prohibits unauthorised copying even if the author is fully acknowledged.

But in any case, Trevor Marriott clearly did pass this work off as his own. The fact that the author's name is included in an acknowledgment list does nothing to change that, because there is no indication anywhere that part of the text published under Marriott's name was largely copied from that author's work.

[lynn cates]

good

Hello Colin. Thanks.

Yes, even better.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

further issues

Hello Chris. Thanks.

The detail that caught my eye was that plagiarism occurred. I did not see that. As I say, these are further issues.

Cheers.
LC

[Phil Carter]

At my alma mater - The University of the South; Sewanee, Tennessee - any such violation of the Honor Code would be addressed by an adjudication of the Student Honor Council. The most likely outcome would be expulsion from the university.

Hello Colin,

Just an observation. This reminds me of the basis of the film's main storyline in "The scent of a woman" with Al Pacino. We all know what the "Honour Council" there did.

At the 400 plus year old public school I attended, it was considered very poor form to publically attract attention to another person's doings if one had nothing to do with it in the first place, and the doings in the first degree were between other people. If the doings were dealt with at the time, or were even ongoing at the time of knowledge or intervention by said third party, one waited for the issue to be sorted out by the original parties before commenting or intervening with one's one summary of said situation.

That is all I will say on the subject, in public. Any response can be made to me privately if so required. As I have only made a personal observation regarding etiquette relating to schooling, in response to your own observations, and not a comment on the parties involved nor the situation itself, that is all I wish to say.


Phil

[Colin Roberts]

At my alma mater - The University of the South; Sewanee, Tennessee - any such violation of the Honor Code would be addressed by an adjudication of the Student Honor Council. The most likely outcome would be expulsion from the university.

At the 400 plus year old public school I attended, it was considered very poor form to publically attract attention to another person's doings if one had nothing to do with it in the first place, and the doings in the first degree were between other people.

I realize that you don't wish to engage in further discussion regarding this issue in a public forum, Phil, but if I may do so …

The Honor Code is considered sacrosanct at Sewanee because it permeates every facet of student life in manners that are cherished by everyone concerned.

With a student body of some 1,100 that were housed almost entirely in campus dormitories: I never knew, during my four years in attendance, of a single student that ever locked the door to his or her room.

In my case, I would get the dormitory matron to let me into my room at the beginning of each semester, and that was that: thereby never even taking possession of a key to my room, let alone locking it.

Students would typically stake a claim to a particular library table or cubicle at the beginning of each semester, by simply depositing their books there (and leaving them there 24/7), knowing that they would not be bothered by anyone.

Professors would pass out quizzes, tests, and exams and return to their offices for the remainder of the respectively scheduled class period. They would also give closed-book take-home tests with stated time limits.

Etc.

I could go on endlessly, but suffice it to say that (certain) people are capable of acting in most honorable manners when they know that the faith and trust of others has been bestowed upon them; as at some point along the way, they begin to place a great sense of value in that faith and trust.

Any student that violated the Honor Code at Sewanee, was jeopardizing a way of life that every other student had come to know and love. It was EVERYBODY'S business.