Sunday, May 6, 2007

Play-giarist Caught

It's a good day.

Plagiarism is said to be rare, but it does happen. It’s a lousy and lazy thing to do. It’s theft and it’s criminal.
Having someone else pass off your hard work as his or her own is a writer’s nightmare. Fortunately, it’s usually a groundless one.

But it did happen to an Edmonton-based playwright David Belke. He suspected something and checked it thoroughly.
Today’s Edmonton Journal has a front-page story about it.

Jack L. Herman of Kent, Ohio got caught.

Here’s more on it in the Edmonton Journal’s Sunday Reader section.

Ya gotta love what this guy did for an honest living.

4 comments:

Dawn said...

For sheer brazenness that has to take the cake! But what a pathetic fine. He should have been hung up by his toenails for a week!

Crabby McSlacker said...

I can't believe he didn't think he'd get caught at some point.

One thing I often worry about, given that I have such a poor memory, is inadvertant plagiarism. Obviously not of entire works, but of words or phrases. I've read so much great stuff, and I wonder how much of it is hanging around in my subconscious.

So when I'm writing something and searching for an analogy or description and it seems to come "out of nowhere" I'm afraid maybe I've just heard it somewhere before. Do any of you guys worry about that?

And I don't know how many times I've actually had a completely original idea, then come to read the exact same thing in someone else's work a few days later. Then i feel like I have to take it out of mine, even though I actually thought of it myself. Because it would look like I copied it.

Okay, so I'm neurotic. (Big surprise).

Anonymous said...

What a hoot!! Some people have more gall than brains... and a cop to boot. Wow. Makes your head spin.. or is that plagiarizing the Exorcist?! LOL Thanks for sharing Leah..

Leah J. Utas said...

Hanging's too good for him, Dawn.

Crabby, I do worry about that. You are not alone.

Good one, Amy.