Copyright infringement and plagiarism are not the same thing. Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of someone’s creation, while plagiarism is the unauthorized use of someone’s words. Copyright infringement is protected by law, while plagiarism is more of an ethical issue. It is possible to plagiarize without infringing copyright, but the two can overlap.
While many people think that copyright infringement and plagiarism are pretty much the same thing, that’s not the case. To some extent, there is some connection between plagiarism and copyright infringement in many situations, but using the two terms interchangeably is incorrect. Here is some insight into how the two are related and how they differ.
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of another individual’s creation. Almost any type of art form created could be included in this category. Items such as articles, stories, books, songs, movies, and photographs are all examples of copyrighted creative works. Unauthorized use occurs when someone chooses to use these copyrighted creations without obtaining permission from the owner. In situations where permission would result in indemnification of the owner, failure to provide would also fall under the category of infringement.
Plagiarism shares some elements with copyright infringement. Both situations can lead to the unauthorized use of intellectual property. However, it is possible to plagiarize without infringing a copyright. For example, if a student preparing a report chooses to use a citation from a source and does not cite the original source correctly, she is essentially claiming that the citation is hers. This is equivalent to stealing another person’s words. While the quote may have come from a public domain work and is not subject to any claims, plagiarism still took place.
There is also a legal difference between copyright infringement and plagiarism. Federal laws in many countries protect the interests of citizens who own copyrights. When such copyrighted works are used without permission, the owner can take legal action to collect damages and receive a share of the revenue generated by the unauthorized use. In some countries, the punishment may include a prison sentence if the copyright infringement is proven in court.
Conversely, plagiarism is usually more a matter of ethics than law. Failure to provide a proper quote for a direct quote will not necessarily result in any type of legal penalty. However, plagiarism often leads to censorship by academic institutions and employers. For example, a writer who presents another writer’s work as his own and is caught in the act of plagiarizing risks being fired from his job. Freelance writers who plagiarize often find that word gets around and it becomes extremely difficult to get assignments. While the chances of going to jail for plagiarism are somewhat limited, the negative impact can have repercussions that will last for years.
Due to fair use practices in many countries, copyright law can sometimes blur the lines between copyright infringement and plagiarism. This means that it is possible to plagiarize and infringe copyright at the same time. However, plagiarism that is also copyright infringement is usually not prosecuted in court unless some kind of economic damage to the owner can be proven.
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