The issue of plagiarism has been in the headlines recently following the recent trial involving the musicians Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, who were accused of plagiarising a 1977 Marvin Gaye song in their 2013 hit song “Blurred Lines”.

This week, a federal jury in California ruled that “Blurred Lines” had plagiarised the Gaye song “Got to Give it up” and ordered a $7.4 million payout to Gaye’s family. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the jury heard testimony from musicologists on the signature phrases, hook, keyboard-bass interplay, lyrics and themes of the songs in their finding. Although the plagiarism was not found to be intentional, their examination nonetheless found that the similarities between the songs were more than simply a coincidence.

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It’s a controversial outcome for the recent hit song which has become one of the best-selling singles of all time, with some critics predicting a “chilling effect” on song writing and composition. On the other end however, it also raises some interesting points about plagiarism, showing that regardless of intent (whether deliberate or not), copying is copying, and creators have the right to protection of their original work from being used without permission or credit.

In the publishing space, the types of plagiarism I encounter in books, blogs, videos and the like are generally more straightforward to identify than musical plagiarism (which is fortunate given my non-existent musical nous).

A good definition of plagiarism and how to avoid it is given by Indiana University. The Writing Tutorial Service at Indiana University states to avoid plagiarism, credit must be given when using:

– another person’s idea, opinion, or theory

– any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings — any pieces of information that are not common knowledge

– quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words

– paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words

Seems simple enough, but in our increasingly digitalised world where we can access and create information instantly at the click of a few buttons, plagiarism is a growing problem.

It can be obvious, like verbatim plagiarism, also known as unacknowledged direct quotation, where (selected or entire) passages are used without crediting the source. Or it can be more subtle, like paraphrasing or rewriting, where although none of the original language may remain, the key idea, and choice and order of information is the same. More on this with detailed examples are found on the Princeton University website.

The example of the “Blurred Lines” hit shows that no one is immune from plagiarising, and it can as easily be done by high-profile and successful people as it can be by the everyday person. Indeed, in the case of Robin Thicke who became a superstar and sold millions of records on the back of the popularity of that song, it could even be argued that he catapulted into fame and wealth through plagiarism. No matter the financial consequences of the lawsuit against him now, Thicke will continue to benefit from the fame and celebrity status he achieved through the song.

As in the Thicke/Williams examples, plagiarism can be a costly exercise, especially if you get rich off it, but there are other issues to consider as well. From the perspective of honesty and integrity, the ethics of copying another’s work and passing it off are really important. It’s essentially a form of theft which shows a lack of sincerity on the part of the plagiarist, who uses other people’s words, ideas, or experiences to communicate with their audience, pretending it’s their own. Basically, people are duped to part with their hard-earned money and place their trust in someone who’s misleading them.

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From our perspective as a publisher offering free spiritual books to others (written by authors who also give their work freely), it’s not earnings that motivate us to address plagiarism, but maintaining the integrity of the work we do. When the books, articles, and information we publish are passed off by others, spiritual teachings offered purely for the betterment of others are monopolised and exploited by others for personal gain, which goes against the very principles of spirituality.

Hopefully discussion, exposure, and action upon plagiarism will be an effective deterrent, it’s not just an issue for those who create original content, but for those who consume it too.