Is Plagiarism Illegal?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, “the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own” is called plagiarism. Through this definition, it is quite obvious that plagiarism is a form of misconduct.

Most people know that plagiarism is unethical and a violation of the integrity of a school or workplace. If someone is caught plagiarizing, they face punishments like a warning, heavy fine, or termination of employment. But is this act illegal to commit?

This question seems tricky to answer. To find the answer, we first need to know what copyright law says. So, let’s dive in!

What Does the Law Say About Plagiarism

Determining the legality of plagiarism can be complex, as it depends on the type of the issue. However, it is a severe offense in many institutes across multiple countries. Sometimes, it violates honor and ethical codes, resulting in penalties or other disciplinary actions. Meanwhile, it can pose serious actions in some situations, such as infringing upon the original author’s patent, copyrighted content, or trademark. It may lead to legal action or even a lawsuit.

Now, how can we tell if a particular form of plagiarism is illegal or not? Well, it depends on the seriousness of the issue and its consequences.

To learn about the severity of the consequences of plagiarism, we need to know the different forms of plagiarism. Each form is slightly different from the other and holds a different consequence. So, here is a brief description.

Word to Word Duplication

Word-to-word duplication means using someone else’s work without giving them credit. It includes copying content from online websites or academic resources and presenting it as your own work. It’s considered wrong, even if the work is not protected by copyright or it is old enough to be under copyright. Plagiarizing without attribution may not lead to imprisonment, but it may result in disciplinary actions, suspension, or expulsion.

Copyright Infringement

Copyright infringement is when you use someone else’s work without asking for permission. This form of plagiarism is illegal as the intellectual property law protects the work. It is unauthorized to plagiarize copyrighted content in any form. Copyright infringement may lead to severe actions such as prison or hefty fines. Simply giving credit to the author will not resolve this issue. You can only avoid this by asking the owner for permission before using their work.

Duplication of Ideas

Copyright law only protects how an idea is expressed, not the idea itself. So, it is fine to use someone’s ideas to create your work, but without copying how they expressed it. An ethical consideration is to credit the original creator or source, even if you are not copying everything.

Real-Life Examples:

Let’s examine some real-life examples of plagiarism that have led to legal hearings and other serious legal issues.

Craig Grimes is a former professor at Pennsylvania State University. He applied for funds from different agencies for the same research, “solar conversion of carbon dioxide.” He accepted funds from both the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation without them knowing. Getting duplicate funding is illegal as the research would be the same, which is a form of plagiarism. Therefore, agencies took action against this fraud and Craig Grimes had to resign from the university.

Another similar case involving an electrical engineer at the University of Central Florida who plagiarized grant proposals led to a similar investigation. This case resulted in a two-year ban from applying for federal funding.

A former vice-chancellor of Delhi University, Deepak Pental, was sentenced to three years in prison for plagiarism. He was accused of plagiarizing his colleague’s paper on biotechnology. A city court sent him to jail in a case of alleged plagiarism and forgery.

Get more information about (Why plagiarism is bad?)

How to Avoid Plagiarism?

So far, we have discussed the importance of avoiding plagiarism to avoid penalties and legal issues. Here are some effective ways to prevent it.

First, don’t copy without giving credit where it is due. If you are quoting someone directly or using their ideas, give credit to the original creator.

Secondly, cite the sources properly. If your citation style or format is wrong, it will be considered plagiarism. This is because the citation does not accomplish what it needs to.

Lastly, learn how to write ideas in your own words. Generic information can lead to unintentional plagiarism. Therefore, this information can be converted into a unique form by paraphrasing or summarizing.

We also recommend that you use a plagiarism checker. This content copyright checker helps you identify whether your content is original or plagiarized. Within a few clicks, the plagiarism checker provides a detailed report about which part of the content is copied. It also shows the original resources, which makes the identification process easier.

Conclusion

Plagiarism is a serious offense in all forms. In some cases, it is just considered cheating, which results in warnings, failing the subject, or suspension from institutes. While in some other situations, it is completely illegal. Using content protected under copyright without permission can lead to legal allegations. Therefore, everyone must preserve originality in their work to maintain integrity and avoid its serious consequences.