What's plagiarism to you?

Yeah, the so-old subject...

Today somehow I couldn't help but what plagiarism is to others. And I'm strictly talking about written work, not graphic designs or codes or anything like this. I've read on the internet the definition of the word, I've read articles about plagiarism and post here, on AFF, about it. And still, I'm not totally convinced about some details... And no, I'm not planning to plagiarize someone's work. Just one of those things I'm forever curious about :)

So, let me ask you this: what's plagiarism to you?

Is it when someone takes a story, changing the names of the characters and some situations here and there?

Is it when someone uses someone else's main idea of the plot, but makes a totally different story?

Is it when someone takes a story and translates it in another language?

Or maybe it's when he/she copies that story entirely and claims to be something new, that it's just a coincidence if the work is similar to another story?

And one last thing. Let's say there's this person that comes across a blog post on the Internet or a status on Facebook or on Tumblr or on another site. And that post is a real-life story that someone tells to the online friends/subscribers/readers. And the person that comes across it takes it, gives the nameless characters (the person who told the initial story wanted to protect the real-life persons, so she/he kept them nameless; like this: HIM/HER) a name to relate to, gives the story a whole new setting and adds some random facts, events. Practically, if someone knew the initial story, he/she would recognize it, but right now it's been turned into a short novel or something like this. The question is the following: is it plagiarism or not? 'Cause this keeps bugging me...

Oh, and please vote below:

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Sammery #1
Plagiarism to me is stolen thought...as abstract as that sounds. If you got inspiration from something (a song, a movie, another story) please just state where it came from.

When I wrote The Showdown - I told the readers that it was based on a real life event.

Now as I write One More Day (kinda...a little bit of hiatus right now...) I know that the idea is not entirely my own because I know that I have read a similar story before though I can't remember what it was called. I still wrote that I was drawing inspiration from a Harry/Draco fanfiction where Harry has a terminal illness. I can't remember what site I read it on, or the name or anything really other than the basic plot points, but I at least put that much up.

It sort of like if you read something on fanfiction.net and you have to write a disclaimer. It's just you acknoledging that you are playing around with a universe that you did not create and giving props to whoever did.

That all being said - as a teacher, I am retentive on citations in writing and I nailed so many students on that (especially on the college level) back in the states. Now in Korea...damn...they just don't care. Samsung got sued by Apple..and I wasn't surprised at all. Koreans were all like...what's the big deal?!
http://mysocalledklife.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/samsung-issue-endemic-of-korean-culture/
They had the same thing with the SAT this year. The test was canceled for the entire country. Twice. Kids were booking flights to Japan and Hong Kong to take the exam. All because of institutionalized cheating in the Hakwons up in Seoul.
B_ann1 #2
Plagiarism is going to be one of those forever questions because there is no simple answer to it. Aside from the obvious plagiarism - copying text from word to word, only changing the character names and translations (unless the original author has granted a permission for it) - everything else is pretty hazy. But when it comes to the question of plagiarism in a case where the plot is the same but the actual story part is completely differently written, scenes unfold in different orders and even the setting might have been changed, things get difficult. I'd say that there is a big difference between "stealing an idea" and plagiarizing a story. Stealing an idea is bad but no one can actually prove you to have done anything wrong because similar stories do get written all the time.
And as for the last scenario you described, I can hardly consider it plagiarism, but rather finding an inspiration in someone's experience and building it into a coherent frame. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Of course if that kind of product ever gets public recognition, the person who shared the story in the first place should be informed. But it's complicated...
Aaargh, it gives me headache to think this much at this hour >.<
Laydeen #3
The plagiarism you wonder about is strictly related to fiction, I believe. If you adapt a real-life situation into fiction, with names given by you and an expanded plot, I doubt it can be called plagiarism. (Though I've been accused of plagiarizing once, because I wrote a story based on real events, though I properly pointed out from where it was inspired. So this subject is no joke.) Still, essays, paperworks and such can be plagiarized too, but let's remain within the work of fiction.
Whether you use this wonderful procedure of CTRL+C and CTRL+V on a whole text or just some paragraphs, if somebody can pinpoint the similarity, then yup, it is plagiarism. It's also plagiarism if you retell the same plot (even if it's with your own words), though that can be labeled as clichéd as well. It depends, actually.
Translation without permission can also be considered plagiarism, because, first and foremost, to translate one's work you need the proper copyright from the author, so without it, you're still stealing :)
P.S. Chanyeol's the best goody-two-shoes for me ;)
TheChuglyOne #4
I don't think anything bad about using a real life story at all.
Plagarism (for me) is copying the story word-for-word or close to that. Story ideas I'd let slid unless the people had the same back story and pretty much the exact same thing happened with minor, minor, MINOR tweaks. I think similar events occuring aren't plagarism. There are so many maid stories; arranged marriage stories, etc.

I don't think translations is wrong, either, unless they don't have the author's permission.
BennieDerHamster #5
translation isn't plagiarism!! I did a translation once and I got written permission from the writer and gave her full credits!
plagiarism is when you take something passing it as yours!
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