Reasons & Realities 42

Plagiarism
     According to EVERY definition you can find (and everyone gets credit on this one) Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.

It is copying, it is infringement of copyright, it is piracy, it is theft, it is stealing informal, it is borrowing someone else's original ideas, it is wrongful appropriation, it is closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization, it is the deliberate or reckless representation of another's words, thoughts, or ideas as one's own without attribution in connection with the originator, and this can go on forever. the bottom line is Plagiarism happens every day and it happens to everyone no matter if they are known worldwide or just by a few family and friends. I myself have been hit and it isn’t a good feeling. For me it instantly removes that invisible vail of protection of being innocent and replace it with a deep feeling of being violated. At the bottom of this article you will see a reference listing showing where my information for this article was based. I’m only going to how three cases where those who were considered in the act of Plagiarism and what some of the ramifications of this act can bring.

The Matrix And The Terminator
     You may not know the name Sophia Stewart, but maybe you should. I’m almost positive you’ve heard of the enormously famous worlds of the Matrix and the Terminator.  This are some direct quote;

“Sophia Stewart, a writer who now lives in Las Vegas, winning a judgment against Andy and Larry (now Lana) Wachowski, 20th Century Fox and director James Cameron among others, and being awarded millions in damages. According to court documents obtained by TIME, those stories are false. In the case of a lawsuit filed in 2003 claiming damages, Stewart alleged that the idea of the 1984 film The Terminator and the 1999 film The Matrix  were stolen from her own screen treatment entitled “The Third Eye,” which was copyrighted in 1983. The documents show that Stewart claimed she was defrauded of millions, plus royalties, a hefty sum if she could prove that the Wachowskis and Cameron had ripped her off. However, her court claim goes back even further, saying she gave her original six-page treatment to 20th Century Fox in 1981, but did not get any acknowledgment of their receiving it until 1985, when it was rejected. At any rate, after viewing The Matrix, she said she immediately recognized her story and she wound up filing suit.⁽¹⁾”

Not all wins are pretty when they begins;

“Stewart has confronted skepticism on all sides, much of which comes from Matrix fans, who are strangely loyal to the Wachowski Brothers. In her own words about how others were suspicious and mocking. 'It doesn't bother me,' said Stewart in an interview, 'I always knew what was true.' Some fans, are unaware of the case or they question its legitimacy, due to the fact that it has received little to no media coverage. Though the case was not made public until October of 2003, Stewart has her own explanation: 'The reason you have not seen any of this in the media is because Warner Brothers parent company is AOL-Time Warner ... this GIANT owns 95 percent of the media ... let me give you a clue as to what they own in the media business ... New York Times papers/magazines, LA Times papers/magazines, People Magazine, CNN news, Extra, Celebrity Justice, Entertainment Tonight, HBO, New Line Cinema, DreamWorks, Newsweek, Village Roadshow and many, many more! They are not going to report on themselves. They have been suppressing my case for years.'⁽²⁾”

     Oh, but there is another twist to this story (the Terminator),and it is also due to another case of  Plagiarism.

Future Cop, The Terminator and Others
     Harlan Jay Ellison has a very impressive listing of copyright infringement lawsuits. There are actually so many I couldn’t find a decent place to start. However, I will point out a few that stood out to me.
    Harlan Ellison sued Paramount/ABC for their short lived TV Series Future Cop calming it was based of his (and Ben Bova) work called Brillo.⁽³⁾  Another suet was leveraged towards the Terminator franchise. In this case Harlan Ellison clam the movie was similar to his Outer Limits episodes “Soldier,” which he had adapted from his 1957 story "Soldier From Tomorrow” & . “Demon with a Glass Hand.” This case was settled out of court and Harlan Ellison name is listed on the credits of the Terminator.⁽⁴⁾ The Justin Timberlake dystopian sci-fi thriller “In Time” was based on his work “Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman” once again Harlan Ellison won and his name now appears on the credits. Lastly I would like to also point out one of my all-time favorites; Star Trek. Harlan Ellison sued both sues CBS-Paramount and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) over Star Trek’s Season 1 Episode 28 “The City on the Edge of Forever.”  In his own words says;

“It ain't about the 'principle,' friend, its (sic) about the MONEY! Pay Me! Am I doing this for other writers, for Mom (still dead), and apple pie? Hell no! I'm doing it for the 35-year-long disrespect and the money!⁽⁵⁾”

After the case was settled (in his own opinion and in his favor);

“I am pleased with the outcome,” Ellison said. Ellison, who filed the suit in March in federal court in Los Angeles, also sued the WGA for its alleged failure to act on his behalf but sought only $1 in damages plus attorney’s fees and court costs from the guild. CBS Paramount and the WGA had no comment. The suit accused CBS Par and the WGA of breaching the collective bargaining agreement and also accused the guild of breaching its duty of fair representation. The episode, which centered on time travel and starred Joan Collins, first aired in April 1967 and won the WGA teleplay award and a Hugo award.

Unfortunately, not all clams wins (depending on which side you are on. this last case goes against the overall them, but it is worth mentioning 

Harry Potter
     Adrian Jacobs claimed J.K. Rowling she plagiarized substantial portions his book The Adventures of Willy the Wizard- Livid Land. In a statement on the bbc.com ⁽⁸⁾ News Entertainment & Arts, Author Rowling had described the claim as;

"not only unfounded but absurd."

     The most important thing to understand about plagiarism is that it occurs and there are no shortage of people who looks for any opportunity on both side of those who does it and those who only claim to fame is accusing others of taking what was theirs first. In the end, there is one thing that is very important and that’s Copyrighting your work is a beautiful thing. I’m going to end this extremely controversial conversation with something I had picked up from one of the articles I’ve researched for Harlan Jay Ellison and that is a quote from Gandhi:

“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” 

Famous Plagiarism Cases

Sophia Stewart
⁽¹⁾ Inside The Billion Dollar Matrix Lawsuit; http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/11/22/inside-the-billion-dollar-matrix-lawsuit-one-of-the-internets-most-pervasive-hoaxes/
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/matrix.asp
⁽²⁾ Matrix Lawsuit; http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/matrix.asp

Harlan Jay Ellison
⁽³⁾ Forgotten TV: Future Cop; http://www.bionicdisco.com/2012/04/26/tv-time-future-cop-1976/
⁽⁴⁾ A History of Plagiarism Claims Against James Cameron; http://io9.com/a-history-of-plagiarism-claims-against-james-cameron-690974718
⁽⁵⁾ That In Time lawsuit; http://www.blastr.com/2011/11/harlan_ellison_wins_in_ti.php
⁽⁶⁾ Harlan Ellison Sues Again; https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110915/16440415972/harlan-ellison-sues-again-because-no-one-could-have-possibly-came-up-with-same-scifi-ideas-as-he-did.shtml
⁽⁷⁾ Harlan Ellison claims victory in weird Star Trek case; http://www.blastr.com/2009/10/harlan_ellison_v_cbs_star.php

Adrian Jacobs
⁽⁸⁾ JK Rowling 'plagiarism' case fails; http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-14187849

SD Tracy Harper

Illustration; www.Pintrest.com 

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