EmilyMiller
Good men did nothing
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2022
- Posts
- 11,600
I love the smell of mansplaining in the morning.
Emily
Emily
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Astute.Aren't those the same story? Taken from the opposite points of view?
Maybe still write about "Rings of Power", only make them go on a different appendage. ;-)It’s a somewhat complicated area. Lifting someone else’s work, premise, plot, characters is clearly plagiarism, even if you make some superficial changes.
But no one owns the themes in their stories. You can write a story about short mythical beings living in an unspoiled rural idyl and then going on a quest in which they encounter other species and the wider world. Maybe avoid rings of power.
Ideas aren’t owned by anyone. The execution of them is covered by copyright. Inspiration is fine, slavish copying isn’t.
Emily
This is probably about 20 years old, so perhaps people don't remember it.Maybe still write about "Rings of Power", only make them go on a different appendage. ;-)
If James Cameron could make Avatar without being sued by Disney, I wouldn't worry too much about accusations of plagiarism.
Even most people who know Springsteen probably don't know that song.
Fifty Shades is calling….It’s a somewhat complicated area. Lifting someone else’s work, premise, plot, characters is clearly plagiarism, even if you make some superficial changes.
But no one owns the themes in their stories. You can write a story about short mythical beings living in an unspoiled rural idyl and then going on a quest in which they encounter other species and the wider world. Maybe avoid rings of power.
Ideas aren’t owned by anyone. The execution of them is covered by copyright. Inspiration is fine, slavish copying isn’t.
Emily
Avoid this: Don't copy specific words, sentences, or groups of words from another author; don't use the same characters, or their names; avoid exactly similar settings (e.g., don't write a story in Middle-earth unless it's a parody); avoid copying the specific important plot points of another story; don't copy dialogue.
First of all, I commend you for asking this question in an open-minded, and not defensive way. It's a valid question and it's a confusing subject for many.
Copyright law is the primary guide for this issue. A crucial concept in copyright law is the difference between ideas and expression. Ideas are not copyrightable, but the unique creative expression of an idea is copyrightable.
What that means is that you are perfectly free, without concern about the law or ethics, to take the broad, basic ideas of another fiction story, and to incorporate those ideas in your story, without being concerned that you are infringing another's copyright or plagiarizing. Plagiarism is a concept that applies more accurately in the field of academic writing than in fiction. You are NOT free to copy another author's EXPRESSION of his or her ideas.
So what does this mean, practically?
Avoid this: Don't copy specific words, sentences, or groups of words from another author; don't use the same characters, or their names; avoid exactly similar settings (e.g., don't write a story in Middle-earth unless it's a parody); avoid copying the specific important plot points of another story; don't copy dialogue.
But this is OK: It's fine to take the same basic idea and write your own story. For example, I've written a story based on the "mailgirl" idea, which somebody came up with before me. There are many mailgirl stories. It's not a proprietary concept; nobody owns it and nobody can exclude others from writing their own mailgirl stories. But I don't use the same names, setting, words, or characters as other mailgirl stories.
Another example: mom and son on a seat together. It's a well-worn idea that's been tried many times. Nobody owns the idea. If you want to do it, go ahead without guilt. But come up with your own characters, words, plot points, and setting.
This is very much not true. Copyright and plagiarism are very much misunderstood on Literotica (and most sites.) Just because you say something is copyrighted does not mean that it is copyrightable. snip
I love the smell of mansplaining in the morning.
Emily
We have some deep disagreements, but I’ve never felt that you treated me any differently based on gender.You don't really believe that.
Allow me to explain why.