Comments on: Your Freelance Writing Ideas, Stolen https://wordsonpageblog.com/2019/04/freelance-files-your-ideas-stolen.html a freelance writing resource. Mon, 22 Apr 2019 12:59:39 +0000 hourly 1 By: lwidmer https://wordsonpageblog.com/2019/04/freelance-files-your-ideas-stolen.html#comment-18069 Mon, 22 Apr 2019 12:59:39 +0000 http://wordsonpageblog.com/?p=7194#comment-18069 In reply to Paula Hendrickson.

Something clearly is, Paula. But it gives me hope that her generation will pay attention to it.

I’ve had a guy use my entire website verbatim and wrap his branding around it. You had to go three or four clicks in to even get to my stuff, which was displayed prominently on his home page. When I confronted him (as did other writers), he tried to “educate” me on copyright law, saying I clearly didn’t understand it. And he teaches it.

Right.

]]> By: lwidmer https://wordsonpageblog.com/2019/04/freelance-files-your-ideas-stolen.html#comment-18068 Mon, 22 Apr 2019 12:57:23 +0000 http://wordsonpageblog.com/?p=7194#comment-18068 In reply to Devon Ellington.

Now that you mention it, Devon, I’ve had work stolen outright by a popular blogger. I never noticed as I never go to her site, but others here did and alerted me.

If you have to steal someone else’s work, that’s proof you have nothing to offer. And you shouldn’t be charging anyone.

]]> By: Paula Hendrickson https://wordsonpageblog.com/2019/04/freelance-files-your-ideas-stolen.html#comment-18067 Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:04:48 +0000 http://wordsonpageblog.com/?p=7194#comment-18067 The other day I had the pleasure of interviewing a 5-year old who wrote a mystery story for a podcast. Several times she mentioned having to drop some ideas because, in her words, “I accidentally stealed them” and she didn’t want companies coming after her for copyright infringement. (Luckily, her mom was there to interpret that.) So I made sure to tell her that no one can copyright an idea. She can use the same basic idea (like “who ate the blueberry pie?”) and spin her one, unique tale. She was very happy to hear that.

When a 5-year old pays more attention to copyright law than editors or other adults do, something is clearly amiss.

]]> By: Devon Ellington https://wordsonpageblog.com/2019/04/freelance-files-your-ideas-stolen.html#comment-18066 Fri, 19 Apr 2019 15:48:04 +0000 http://wordsonpageblog.com/?p=7194#comment-18066 What’s infuriated me is when former students of mine take my actual workshop material and then hire themselves out to teach it without attribution. My lawyer’s done a few cease-and-desists. It’s also why my handouts are resources and not the actual presentation itself. That’s copyrighted material.

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