Plagerism

"fwdixon" wrote in message
...
"diane.walker" wrote in message
...
I have noticed that you get quite a lot of posts on the subject of
plagerism
on this newsgroup. Ebay sellers like me seem to get the most stick for
stealing other peoples descriptions of books. Are not dealers on Addall
and
Abe not commiting pagerism. They take the description from the jacket
and
copy it word for word. If I then copy and paste what they have copied
(still
following this ?) does that make me any worse than them ?
Best regards

Well, for one thing it is spelled "plagiarism", not "plagerism" or
"pagerism" (would that be stealing someone's pager or the worship of
pagers
or, dare I say it, the worship of Paghat?)

You have been taken of my Xmas card list Bob.
Best regards
Diane

--
Bob Finnan
The Hardy Boys Unofficial Home Page
http://www.Hardy-Boys.net
New & Out Of Print Books, Books-On-Tape, Videos, DVDs, CD-ROMs For Sale
http://users.arczip.com/fwdixon/hbsale.htm
To reply: replace spamless with fwdixon
.................................................. ...................

"Bud Webster" wrote in message
...
"diane.walker" sez:

I have noticed that you get quite a lot of posts on the subject of
plagerism
on this newsgroup.

No. We do, in fact, post quite a bit about "plagiarism," but someone
who can't be bothered to know the correct spelling of the term
probably wouldn't be above stealing descriptions from better and more
knowledgeable booksellers than themselves.

Ebay sellers like me seem to get the most stick for
stealing other peoples descriptions of books. Are not dealers on Addall
and
Abe not commiting pagerism. They take the description from the jacket and
copy it word for word. If I then copy and paste what they have copied
(still
following this ?) does that make me any worse than them ?

It certainly makes you just as bad. But along with your ignorance of
spelling, you're also apparently ignorant of our specific complaint:
that a description we've written based on years of research and
knowledge is ripped off wholesale and used by some eBay yobbo (like
yourself) who a) wouldn't know a book from a doorstop, b) doesn't care
if the description doesn't adequately fit the particular copy you're
hoping to flog to some poor meathead with more money than sense,
and/or c) tries desperately to justify her actions by shoving the
blame onto the booksellers who quote from blurbs, WHICH IS THEIR
ENTIRE PURPOSE.

A blurb ain't a description, Ms. Walker, and if you had a lick of
book-sense you'd already know that.

Your not a very nice person are you Bud. I have a feeling your'e not getting
enough of the good things in life.
Best regards
Diane



You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man
whose words make your blood boil, who's standing
center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs
that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the
top of yours.
- "The American President"

"Jerry Morris" wrote in message
...
Bud Webster jumped all over Diane Walker's shirt.

It certainly makes you just as bad. But along with your ignorance of
spelling, you're also apparently ignorant of our specific complaint:
that a description we've written based on years of research and
knowledge is ripped off wholesale and used by some eBay yobbo (like
yourself) who

a) wouldn't know a book from a doorstop,

I beg to differ. Diane knows quite a lot about books, especially books
about battleships. She's mentioned that several times in recent RCB
threads.

b) doesn't care if the description doesn't adequately fit the
particular copy you're hoping to flog to some poor meathead with more
money than sense,

Again, I beg to differ. Diane has queried RCB frequently in order to
accurately describe her books going up for auction You must have her
confused with someone who doesn't give a shirt.

and/or c) tries desperately to justify her actions by shoving the blame
onto the booksellers who quote from blurbs, WHICH IS THEIR ENTIRE
PURPOSE.
A blurb ain't a description, Ms. Walker, and if you had a lick of
book-sense you'd already know that.

Good argument, Bud, but the wrong person; I don't think Diane deserved
it. I routinely check her auctions and regularly read her sometimes
humorous posts to RCB........As for book-sense, she has it; she also has
common sense.

Now, I'm waiting to see if she jumps all over YOUR shirt!

Jerry Morris

Thanks for your support Jerry. My spelling is atrocious but I don't think it
needed that amount of aggression.
Best regards
Diane




(Bud Webster)
"diane.walker" sez:
I have noticed that you get quite a lot of posts on the subject of
plagerism on this newsgroup.
No. We do, in fact, post quite a bit about "plagiarism," but someone who
can't be bothered to know the correct spelling of the term probably
wouldn't be above stealing descriptions from better and more
knowledgeable booksellers than themselves.
Ebay sellers like me seem to get the most stick for stealing other
peoples descriptions of books. Are not dealers on Addall and Abe not
commiting pagerism. They take the description from the jacket and copy
it word for word. If I then copy and paste what they have copied (still
following this ?) does that make me any worse than them ?
It certainly makes you just as bad. But along with your ignorance of
spelling, you're also apparently ignorant of our specific complaint:
that a description we've written based on years of research and
knowledge is ripped off wholesale and used by some eBay yobbo (like
yourself) who a) wouldn't know a book from a doorstop, b) doesn't care
if the description doesn't adequately fit the particular copy you're
hoping to flog to some poor meathead with more money than sense, and/or
c) tries desperately to justify her actions by shoving the blame onto
the booksellers who quote from blurbs, WHICH IS THEIR ENTIRE PURPOSE.
A blurb ain't a description, Ms. Walker, and if you had a lick of
book-sense you'd already know that.


Welcome to Moi's Books About Books: http://tinyurl.com/hib7
My Sentimental Library http://tinyurl.com/hisb and moislibrary.com
http://tinyurl.com/hisn

"Denise Enck" wrote in message
thlink.net...

I did mention fair use in my earlier post - just read a bit past the part
you quoted.



The only thing past what I quoted is: "Here's an excellent page on some
commonly-asked copyright-related questions:
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html ."



Yes, many works are in the public domain. When I wrote the post I was
thinking about book listings & information that booksellers have written
about books on the internet - what the original poster was asking about. I
should have been more explicit. But anything that is published today -
whether on the internet or otherwise - is indeed copyrighted.



Yes, I see what you are getting at--but again you've missed the mark. I
could published a new edition of Dickens today and the underlying work would
not be copyrighted.

I think what you are trying to say is: anything published today THAT IS
WITHIN THE TERM FOR COPYRIGHT PROTECTION is indeed AUTOMATICALLY copyrighted
(there being very few formalities--notice, registration, etc.--left in the
law).


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

"Pat O'Brien" wrote in message
.com...

Unfortunately, it is considered plagiarism to copy a dealer's book
description and use it as your own. If that dealer uses as their
description, the exact synopsis on the blurb of the book and the book is
still within the copyright period, that is also plagiarism. It is not a
case of being better or worse, it is simply a matter of legality.
However,
if one takes the information and puts it into their own
words(paraphrasing)
in what is legally considered to be acceptable or using quote marks and
attribution - one can usually avoid plagiarism. One has to realize that
many book dealers are quite knowledgeable in the subject matter of the
books
they sell and the information they use to promote a particular work may be
the product of many years of research/investigation on their part and
makes
that book description unique and their own work product. There are many
sites on the internet that will more accurately describe what is and what
is
not plagiarism.



Plagiarism has nothing to do with copyright. Plagiarism is the moral
offense of taking someone else's written work as one's own--regardless of
whether the original work is copyrighted or not. It is not, generally
speaking, a crime--although one could see how a case of fraud could be made
out in some instances.

Copyright is the legal right to control how/when/where copies of one's
published work are made. Infringement--the unlawful interference with that
right--is the main offense against copyright, which can have both criminal
and civil penalties.

So, I could plagiarize Dickens without violating any copyright. Likewise, I
could infringe copyright--e.g., publishing a pirate edition of Stephen
King--with any plagiarism.


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

"diane.walker" sez:


Your not a very nice person are you Bud. I have a feeling your'e not getting
enough of the good things in life.

By no means am I "not a very nice person," Ms. Walker. I just don't
suffer fools quietly.




"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that
English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow
words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways
to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
--James D. Nicoll

"diane.walker" wrote
You have been taken of my Xmas card list Bob.

You would probably spell my name wrong anyway.
--
Bob Finnan
The Hardy Boys Unofficial Home Page
http://www.Hardy-Boys.net
New & Out Of Print Books, Books-On-Tape, Videos, DVDs, CD-ROMs For Sale
http://users.arczip.com/fwdixon/hbsale.htm
To reply: replace spamless with fwdixon
.................................................. ....................

You have been taken of my Xmas card list Bob.
Best regards
Diane

"Can't we all just get along?"

Plagiarism has nothing to do with copyright. Plagiarism is the moral
offense of taking someone else's written work as one's own--regardless of
whether the original work is copyrighted or not. It is not, generally
speaking, a crime--although one could see how a case of fraud could be
made
out in some instances.

Copyright is the legal right to control how/when/where copies of one's
published work are made. Infringement--the unlawful interference with
that
right--is the main offense against copyright, which can have both criminal
and civil penalties.

So, I could plagiarize Dickens without violating any copyright. Likewise,
I
could infringe copyright--e.g., publishing a pirate edition of Stephen
King--with any plagiarism.


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com


That's right; plagiarism and copyright do not necessarily intersect. But
this thread is not about Dickens - we are talking about book dealers'
descriptions. It is certainly plagiarism to copy another dealer's
description & pass it off as one's own. Additionally, if the plagiarized
work is a dealer's book description on ABE or eBay, the work is most
certainly copyrighted, and both copyright violation & plagiarism result if
the description is copied by another dealer.

If the author of the words being plagiarized is still alive, the work is
most likely protected by copyright. Fair use would be an exception, but that
wouldn't apply to the situation in question.

Denise

"fwdixon" sez:

"diane.walker" wrote
You have been taken of my Xmas card list Bob.

You would probably spell my name wrong anyway.

That would be very hard to do, Bbo.




"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that
English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow
words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways
to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
--James D. Nicoll