Why is plagiarism so bad?
Many people copy others, in both real life, and online.
They wear the same clothes. They buy the same things. It is natural to want to have the same item as another person. That is why companies make items in bulk. That is why clothing manufacturers make the same shirt, dress, or pair of pants in the same color and in different sizes.
Copying others in this manner is not a crime. (It might be deemed as a fashion crime in some pretentious circles, but it’s not against the law!)
However, when it comes to online content, copying others is a serious crime.
This type of copying is called PLAGIARISM, and it is a violation of copyright law.
There are solutions to avoiding plagiarism and its consequences and penalties, and today we are going to look at these solutions.
We are also going to answer the following questions:
What is plagiarism?
What is fair use?
What should you do if your content has been plagiarized?
How can bloggers and freelancers avoid plagiarism and its penalties?
How can bloggers create content for their blogs that rivals the content of their competitors?
How can bloggers create content that is similar to their competitors and ranks well?
By the end of this article, you will have all the answers and be able to create unique content that will not be considered to be plagiarized.
Plagiarism VS. Fair Use
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism has several definitions.
It occurs when you copy someone else’s words and pass them off as your own.
It occurs when you cite someone’s words and don’t give the owner proper credit or attribution.
Plagiarism is against the law and is a serious offense. There are also several types of plagiarism, which will discuss momentarily.
Plagiarism is only stealing if you don’t give credit to the original source OR if what you are sharing does not fall under the rules for fair use.
What is Fair Use?
Fair use, on the other hand, according to copyright law, allows you to use someone’s words and ideas freely, without permission from the copyright owner.
Fair use, according to this article, is “a copyright principle based on the belief that the public is entitled to freely use portions of copyrighted materials for purposes of commentary and criticism.”
At this point, I want to point out to you that EVEN THOUGH I COPIED THIS SENTENCE, I didn’t try to pass it off as my own. Instead, I provided a link to the article (the source) where I found it.
If I didn’t, I would have been guilty of plagiarism.
