Plagiarism research

What is plagiarism?

The word plagiarism is derived from a Greek word: "Plagion" and the two Latin terms for "a kidnapping" ("plagium") and "kidnapper" ("plagiarus"), the ism being added to form plagiarism in the early 17th century.

The act of plagiarism involves taking something original from another person (whether it be a drawing, a song, or even something as small as an idea) and claiming it as your own. It is seen widely in day to day life, specifically by those who work in creative areas, and has many negative connotations encompassing it. The act itself is seen as a form of cheating/theft and is regarded as an incredibly dishonest and improper way to behave, especially in a professional environment. Being caught committing plagiarism also has several, quite major, consequences, such as: The undoing of any reputation you had, whether it's professional or academic, and even legal repercussions.

However, in the words of Wendy Sutherland-Smith from her book Plagiarism, The Internet and Student Learning: "Plagiarism is a complex notion - and deceptively so." (Pg.3) and it has to be taken into consideration that plagiarism isn't always a malicious act of deceit, but instead a rather ignorant accident. There are many different ways in which to commit plagiarism and whether it's intentional or accidental, plagiarism is a serious issue and substantial referencing any sources used when producing work is not only crucial, but also easy - and therefore there's no excuse.

Examples of visual plagiarism:

One major case of visual plagiarism involved a freelance illustrator by the name Lauren Nassef, who had at least thirty two of her original drawings plagiarized by a woman named Samantha Beeston. Beeston's portfolio appeared to be composed mostly, if not entirely, of tracings from Nassef's work, and she even won a (later revoked) Texprint award for the work she'd plagiarized.

Another example involves an etsy shop by the name of "Knickerocker" and Forever-21:

Although not entirely the same designs, it's obvious when compared that there has been some influence/thievery on Forever-21's behalf, specifically with regards to the panda design. Forever-21, like a lot of other clothing brands (such as Primark and Urban Outfitters), has also been accused of infringement and misappropriation on multiple occasions, making it a lot harder to distinguish whether the similar designs were merely a coincidence or whether the product was, in fact, blatantly plagiarized.

This final example displays artwork by Brain Foetus being reproduced as a t-shirt design by retailers Brandy Melville:

Despite some minor changes, the reproduction done by Brandy Melville remains far too similar to the original to excuse this as a mere 'accident', and what makes it worse is that this particular reproduction has been worn by several different celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Mia Pia Perez. It's not the first time this brand has created a rip-off design based off of the work of emerging artists, either.

Sources used:

Books:

1. SUTHERLAND-SMITH, W. (2008) Plagiarism, The Internet and Student Learning Routledge. Oxfordshire

Websites:

1. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/plagiarism
2. http://www.ithenticate.com/resources/6-consequences-of-plagiarism
3. http://www.book-by-its-cover.com/other/a-sad-story-must-read
4. http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/