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Plagiarizing Wikipedia For Profit

Posted by kdawson on from the ip-is-on-the-other-foot dept.

An anonymous reader sends word of a dustup involving the publisher John Wiley and Sons and Wikipedia. Two pages from a Wiley book, Black Gold: The New Frontier in Oil for Investors, consist of a verbatim copy from the English Wikipedia article on the Khobar Towers bombing. This is the publisher that touched off a fair use brouhaha earlier this year when they threatened to sue a blogger who had reproduced a chart and a table (fully attributed) from one of their journals.

14 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. Copy/Paste needs help by MollyB · · Score: 2, Funny

    Perhaps an imaginative programmer out there will develop a "De-Plagiarize" application and port it to all platforms. Paste the text or graph into the box and out pops a perfect paraphrase.
    (Profit?)

    1. Re:Copy/Paste needs help by geordieboozer · · Score: 2, Funny

      this is already available by using babelfish to translate to another language and then back again:

      "Possibly imaginative programmer will outside there begin "de -.Plagiatorstvuet" application and holds it to all platforms. You will stick text or diagram into the box and outside flap the perfect paraphrase (profit?)"

    2. Re:Copy/Paste needs help by ScrewMaster · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Hi! It looks like you're trying to steal someone else's intellectual property! Would you like me to a. attribute it properly for you or b. adjust it so your theft isn't so blatantly obvious?"

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  2. Like I always say by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 1, Funny

    If it's unattributed, its plagiarism -- passing off someone else's work for yours

  3. Re:How are they going to claim... by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is an interesting aspect of free license law that hasn't really been delved into yet.

    You're so right! Noone on the wider internet or even slashdot has ever considered this!

    --
    There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
  4. Re:Good idea, but by Farmer+Tim · · Score: 2, Funny

    I could see semi-randomised text being a problem in it's own waterbuffalo.

    --
    Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.
  5. "There's no such thing as plagiarism..." by DreamingDaemon · · Score: 3, Funny

    As the incredibly-talented sci-fi writer Bob Unherdof said to his struggling burger-flipper friend George Lucas in 1975....

  6. The solution by niceone · · Score: 4, Funny

    John Wiley and Sons could just edit the wikipedia article to be different. Problem solved.

    --
    ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
  7. Wikipedia's Official Reaction... by CheeseburgerBrown · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...was unfortunately deleted by an overzealous editor who argued that the issue did not meet notability criteria.

    --
    These stories are free but worth money.
  8. Re:According to law... by KaoticEvil · · Score: 2, Funny

    I personally think that "morals" should play no part whatsoever in lawmaking. What one person thinks is "morally correct" I may feel is immoral. Or vice versa.

    For example: I am quite sure that my wife and I do things in our bedroom that some bible-thumping religious nazi would find highly immoral. Does that mean they should be illegal? I think not.

    --
    You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories.
  9. Re:According to law... by Floritard · · Score: 2, Funny

    There are those who honestly believe it's okay to just copy whatever files they want. Does that mean it's okay?

    Yes.

    Well that settles that then. Thanks for your time.
  10. stethoscope by pikine · · Score: 2, Funny

    If we have a stethoscope for the minds of various characters involved at different time, it could be like this:

    • Unpaid college intern who worked on that book uncredited, "Shit, I spent too much time playing Bejeweled and IM with friends, and I have this essay to finish by 4pm. Maybe I'll take a little peek at what Wikipedia has to say about this."
    • George Orwel, "Well done, my lowly minion intern. Looks like a fine essay to me. I'll incorporate it into my book."
    • John Wiley and Sons, "Well done, my lowly minion author. Looks like a fine book to us. We will publish it."

    A year later...

    • Ydorb, "What the heck? They copied my Wikipedia article!"
    • Slashdot, "What the heck? They copied someone's Wikipedia article!"
    • John Wiley and Sons to George Orwel, "What the heck, you copied someone's Wikipedia article?"
    • George Orwel, "Shit, I got sabotaged by one of my lowly minions. How can I ever admit this."
    • John Wiley and Sons, "Shit, we got sabotaged by one of my authors. How can we ever admit this?"
    • Meanwhile, the unpaid intern who work uncredited has returned to school, still addicted to Bejeweled, and still submitting Wikipedia articles for his homework assignment.
    --
    I once had a signature.
  11. slashdot mentality by uberjoe · · Score: 2, Funny

    But. . .how can you have profit with out ??? ?

    --

    The days of the digital watch are numbered.

  12. Re:How are they going to claim... by verloren · · Score: 2, Funny

    Think bigger, think RIAA big - calculate damages based on how many copies of the book *could* have been sold. Until I found out about this dishonesty I was set to buy a dozen copies at least, as was everyone I've ever met.