Plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to taking someone's ideas or words without crediting that person as the original source. Plagiarism scandals have resulted in lawsuits and the revocation of academic titles. Although estimates of the incidence of plagiarism vary widely, there are indications that plagiarism in academic settings has increased, with many blaming the Internet, large class sizes, and the commoditization of degrees for the increase. Institutions and instructors have taken steps to prevent plagiarism, for example, by modifying the structure of assignments and by promoting academic integrity in general.

In the music world, well-known artists, such as the Beach Boys, George Harrison, Michael Bolton, and the Black Eyed Peas, have been sued for copyright infringement in relation to plagiarizing the works of other songwriters. Successful book authors, such as Alex Haley (Roots) and Janet Dailey (author of over 100 novels), have been accused of plagiarism, with Dailey settling out of court with fellow romance novelist Nora Roberts. In journalism, Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek columnist, Time editor-at-large, and political commentator, was accused of having used material from a fellow journalist's New Yorker article, and Boston Globe columnist Mike Barnicle resigned after accusations that he had plagiarized the work of author and comedian George Carlin. These plagiarism scandals highlight the importance of intellectual property rights in contemporary Western culture.

In academia, where plagiarism generally falls under the broad umbrella of academic dishonesty, the ownership of words and ideas is fiercely defended. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, the German minister of defense, resigned from office after it was discovered that he had plagiarized significant portions of his doctoral dissertation. One of the most famous cases, though, was undoubtedly that of Martin Luther King, Jr., a Boston University investigation determined that the civil rights leader had plagiarized portions of his doctoral dissertation but concluded that there was not sufficient reason to posthumously revoke his doctorate.