Plagiarism -- the most taboo word, describing the most heinous action a writing student will ever know.

It's understood to be the Cardinal Sin of English students. At the university level, it is usually grounds for suspension if not expulsion.

According to the Oxford dictionary, the term originated in the early 17th century, and its Latin roots were already carrying precious connotations. Plagiarius means "kidnapper," and was first used by the Latin poet Martial (ad 40-c.102) to call-out a "literary thief" in one of his poems.

Even in those olden days, concern over plagiarism was not always about the inherent value of hard-thought intellectual property. Monetary profits can accompany the creative process, and when they do, the creators stake their claims. Nowadays, we understand this element of creative ownership is often protected under copyright laws.

In an interesting twist, according to the website Plagiarism Today, Martial was actually willing to hand over ownership of his wordy work...for the right price:

"Fame has it that you, Fidentinus, recite my books to the crowd as if none other than your own.

If you’re willing that they be called mine, I’ll send you the poems for free.

If you want them to be called yours, buy this one, so that they won’t be mine."

 

Was Martial among the first "sell-outs?' Or, a shrewd businessman? These questions continue to be incredibly relevant today in any field dealing with "intellectual property."

This blog will explore those precocious pieces of writing (and maybe even that very vaporous area of "ideas")  that have somehow been stolen from their proper parentage, taken boldly word-for-word in the light of day, or pilfered as a word here, a word there, maybe just a rhythm or a tune, underhandedly.

This blog is interested in understanding the hazy gray areas of creative ownership in our hyper-accessible, life hack ready and quick fix world. Hopefully, it will help us writers, whether students or seasoned pros, feel more confident in the generation and publication of work we can truly call our own.

We will delve into the motivations behind blatant plagiarism, and the pitfalls that bring many an unorganized and unwary writer down to plagiarist levels, unwittingly.

So before you shuffle your manuscripts and say, what's mine is mine, read on.

Image from:http://youthvoices.net/discussion/why-academic-integrity-ignored-students-who-plagiarize caption