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What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism occurs daily on the Internet. It is such a common problem that there are now numerous online tools that can be used to spot instances of online plagiarism.
It occurs when someone makes a presentation or writes a report, article, speech or book by imitating the thought pattern and words used by another creator of a work and then represents such as their own.
It thus means to take credit for the knowledge and wording of another person. In plain language, it is an act of intellectual property theft.
Plagiarism is regarded as off limits in academic circles and offenders normally face extreme disciplinary action, ranging from failure of a subject to expulsion. Journalists see it in just as a serious light as academics. Whether plagiarism occurs through intent or by accident, the legal repercussions are the same.
Often understood as the same as copyright infringement, it is indeed not the same. Copyright infringement can entail any form of infringement on the rights of the copyright holder.
An example can be that of marketing, distributing or copying parts of a work without the written consent of the author or publisher.
With plagiarism there is false representation of a work, where someone claims recognition for the work of another.
If a person wants to take legal action against the culprit, specific procedures need to be followed. The intellectual property attorneys will assess the particular case and then make recommendations regarding the most appropriate path to follow for the particular plagiarism case.
Should you require legal assistance in terms of any intellectual property rights disputes, contact us at Smit & Van Wyk today.
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