Comments on: Ethics and Common Sense https://wordsonpageblog.com/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html a freelance writing resource. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:21:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Lori https://wordsonpageblog.com/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html#comment-2097 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:21:00 +0000 http://loriwidmer.com/wordsonpage/index.php/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html/#comment-2097 Good for you, Angie. I think if they’re using your material, you’re owed money.

]]> By: Angie Ledbetter https://wordsonpageblog.com/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html#comment-2096 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:58:00 +0000 http://loriwidmer.com/wordsonpage/index.php/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html/#comment-2096 Thanks to Google Alerts, I’ve found several of my short stories, essays or articles stolen, one even had my name still on it, like I’d given permission or been paid! I threw a fit, asked for payment (knowing I wouldn’t get it) and demanded it be taken off the site. But how many others are there that have changed the title and/or removed my name? No way to trace those. Grrrrrr

]]> By: Lori https://wordsonpageblog.com/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html#comment-2095 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:22:00 +0000 http://loriwidmer.com/wordsonpage/index.php/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html/#comment-2095 Joan, that’s awful! Between yours and Susan’s situations, it sounds like unless there’s a lawyer involved, complaints go nowhere.

]]> By: Sling Words aka Joan Reeves https://wordsonpageblog.com/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html#comment-2094 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:05:00 +0000 http://loriwidmer.com/wordsonpage/index.php/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html/#comment-2094 I had several blog posts I wrote for my Performancing blog stolen, word for word. I did all the stuff you’re supposed to do, but got no response from anyone to whom I reported it. Even Performancing powers that be didn’t respond to my notification.

Then I started posting a huge copyright notice with each post and a nasty comment about the person who’d done it. The stealing and posting VERBATIM continued.

I abandoned the Performancing blog because that was the only one I had trouble with.

It’s aggravating, infuriating, and exhausting. In the end, you go through the motions of reporting in accordance with the DMCA, but it does little good unless you have a huge “power” behind you like a major organization or publishing house willing to go to bat for you.

]]> By: Susan Johnston https://wordsonpageblog.com/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html#comment-2093 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:11:00 +0000 http://loriwidmer.com/wordsonpage/index.php/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html/#comment-2093 I’ve had my copy lifted, but I never got a response (darn those sploggers!). In regards to giving credit, what is your take on ghostwriting? I do some of that for my clients and in those cases I do it for steady, relatively painless income, rather than a clip I can show all my friends.

]]> By: writtenexpressions https://wordsonpageblog.com/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html#comment-2092 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:08:00 +0000 http://loriwidmer.com/wordsonpage/index.php/2009/01/ethics-and-common-sense.html/#comment-2092 I’ve never had my copy lifted (should I be insulted?!), but back in my cubefarm days, I often had coworkers bring me competitors’ marketing materials. They’d say “I like this–can you recreate it for us?” Um . . . no. So I’d find out what the person liked about the piece (sometimes it was just the color or overall tone), and then I would then try to bring a similar but still unique element into whatever I was working on. I suppose that could be considered a fine line too . . . but I like to think I always stayed on the right side of it.

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