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Did Laurie S. publish her great story Transcending Marilyn -- about a Marilyn Monroe mimic -- under the new name He Is Our Girl by Melissa Raquel, or has someone stolen Laurie's story?
I ask because other novels by Melissa Raquel don't seem to be written in Laurie's voice.
Jill
Comments
It's plagiarised.
I've 'reviewed' both episodes on Amazon giving them 1* not because of the story and its quality but because it isn't the work of the person selling it. There was some discussion over at FM and Laurie S didn't want to pursue it because of her desire for anonymity. It's only the writer who can get Amazon to delete plagiarised fiction, apparently. I did get one review rejected because I identified FM as the source of the complete story and Amazon don't like that, either. I just said 'elsewhere' in the reviews that were allowed to stand.
I've read other books posted by Ms Raquel which I don't recognise as copied but they may be.
R
Grand Theft
Laurie asked me to edit her work on Transcending Marilyn. If she valued her time at minimal salary this would be grand theft as she spent thousands of hours in research.
It's a real shame.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
It's a brilliantly done story ...
... in my opinion. I think that's why I was so annoyed at the blatant copying. I'm a sort of Marilyn Monroe fan without being obsessive and 'Some like it hot' is certainly one of my favourite films. I remember well its coming out in the late 50s when I was a teenager.
R
If storiy is FREE
If the story on Amazon is Free some other place, didn't they cut the prize ask to Zéro.?
That a good way to slow down the Plagiarism.?
Peace tmf
If there is several comments
If there is several comments about it available free around without naming any site. They might start reacting.
A Serial Plagiarist
Melissa Raquel is a serial plagiarist, but what irks me is that Amazon must know this by now and they do nothing about it.
Moreover, it is so difficult to knock these people off their stride. There is no mechanism to point out that the "author" is a copyright infringer, pointing out that there is a free version by adding a link is not allowed, and the only complaints that can be addressed are by the author - who often (TG writers anyway) prefer anonymity.
I have ranted on FM about the failure of law enforcement to look into the conduct of the world's largest business - there is criminal liability for copyright and the FBI intervenes on behalf of the movie industry and TDS on behalf of premium brands, but TG authors will never have the necessary clout.
Sad.
Maryanne
If only the anonymous authors
Would cede copyright to the FM people, maybe something could get done about this blatant plagiarism and theft of IP...
This might work
I have gotten things taken down as publisher of the original, even though I do not buy copyrights of most things I publish.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Do you have to buy copyright?
I thought it went by default unless challenged. I used to work for Rolls-Royce before I retired (the real one, not the cars :) ) and I know they take misuse of their logo very seriously. We got a slap on the wrists for having dept. mugs made that incorporated it - but not before we'd all got one!
R
No
I'm a publisher, so if I want the copyright to something I didn't create, I can buy it. More often, I just pay someone to allow me to publish it, and let them keep their copyright. Logos are not copyrighted, they are trademarked.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
OK
Thanks, Erin, for clearing my confusion.
R
When did copyright start costing money?
I've copyrighted several stories for myself and other authors. It was a lot of paperwork, a lot of filing forms, but it never cost anything besides labor and stamps. I never charged the writers for filing a copyright for them.
On another note. it's been close to a year I wrote a blog about my stories were posted on other sites. I filed a complaint with their host provider. Had to fill out a legal form who I was, what the stories and titles were and at that time had to sign two names as the author. My legal name and the name the story was wrote under. I also sent the site a notice of cease and desist or they would find themselves in court. They were good as WHOS had no names for who owned the Web Page Name but only provided a company name. If it came to filing in court the lawyer would have to dig into who owned the company. Never happened as two months later both web sites were down. I checked a six months later and they are still off the web.
Too many authors write under a pseudonym and don't want to let anyone know the legal name of the author. If they only understood no matter what name they used when they wrote the story, it is their alternate legal name. They don't have to go to court to prove it. Sign the legal documents as to their name they use when paying their taxes and the name they use when writing if push comes to shove for getting acknowledged for their talent as a writer. Writers have centuries of provenance behind them from so many greats who a great many readers never knew the name of the real author. The legal system and the courts have realized this and usually stand behind the real authors when it reaches court.
Hugs Jill & Erin
Barb
Life is a gift, don't waste it wishing you had.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Copyright without Formalities
Actually Barb, you don't need to file papers papers to have copyright, you just need to file to protect it.
Any artist or writer creating an original work can claim copyright, even without the claim at the bottom - the C in a circle.
I also write under a name that is not my legal name and I can claim my right under that name, until I get to Court when I must reveal myself.
I think those who steal TG fiction works are taking advantage of the need for many to remain discreetly veiled.
That is why I was bemoaning the fact that there is no enforcement of the the statute making copyright infringement a criminal offence other than to serve the interests of big corporates who can look after themselves.
In the absence of that we need to put pressure on Amazon and pay sites who let people profit from plagiarized material even when they are informed that it is in breach of copyright.
It happened to me on Deviant Art - there was correspondence but I have lost it with my email address - still can't get that back!
Maryanne
People Will Steal Anything
Someone stole a distinctive name and logo from one of my businesses. I had paid an ad agency $20k to create it I paid a law firm $3,500 to file the trademark. When it came time to enforce my trademark I found the law to be horribly weak. It isn't the law that makes Disney so tenacious on protecting their rights, it is their hordes of lawyers AND their willingness to use them. I was able got use the legal theory of intentionally creating confusion in the marketplace to force the theif to the table to achieve a compromise. On the other hand I lost disputes with ASCAP and Charles Schulz.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)