I agree that it is fair to quote an author where possible - it certainly is in scientific circles - that is of course not always possible - I posted something today about Olde England and customs - I got it from a forwarded e-mail - I did not credit anybody with it because I honestly do not know it's original source - but yes, in general, it is fair to quote the author if possible
Why do some people post things that they did not write ... ????
by Wild_Thing 23 Replies latest jw friends
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Carmel
what is the source of the irritation? it't just electons floating in the ether!
caveman
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fairchild
You definitely brought up a good point, wild thing. Being a writer myself, I know the value of copyrights. Especially since the internet made its impressive entrance, plagiarism has gone wild all over.
No words should be copied without mentioning the source. It doesn't matter if the piece is copyrighted or not, as soon as a person writes something down on paper, it belongs to him/her, even without a copyright label. Should someone want to quote something, but doesn't know where it came from (for example, you got it via e-mail), this person needs to write 'author unknown' under the piece of writing. It is a matter of courtesy.
Not all works that are copyrighted bear the copyright label. Meaning, if there is no copyright label, a particular piece might still be officially copyrighted. It is a rule of thumb nowadays not to use the copyright label, as it is generally considered a sign of mistrust in publishers and readers.
A dear friend of mine published a poem, you might have read it, as it has gone around via e-mails for a couple of years now. The title is "If I Could Catch A Rainbow". (go google THAT one and you'll see how many different 'authors' you come up with). Since the publication of that poem, several dozens of people have publicly plagiarized it and put their own name under it. This is where my crusade against plagiarism began, so I'm a real stickler when it comes to that subject.
Anyone who wants more information on plagiarism, or on how to copyright is free to pm me.
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Golf
Wild_ Thing, I give credit where credit is due.