Re: Knock-off legalities?

Me <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Gita wrote:

>> No, plagiarism applies to ideas, not just words.  Even Webster's 
>> dictionary defines it as "to steal and pass off the ideas or words of 
>> another as ones own" and "to present as new and original an idea or 
>> product derived from an existing source".  So, knocking off an existing 
>> design and calling it your own original design could be considered 
>> plagiarism.

> Plagiarism is fairly limited to written works.  Copying of 
> design gets into the area of copyright infringement, or 
> trademark infringement.  But imitation is also the 
> sincerest form of flattery.

> As to plagiarism applying to ideas, where would we be if 
> West Side Story were considered plagiarism of Romeo and 
> Juliet?  It does, after all, meet the limitation of the 
> written work, but on the other hand, there are really only 
> about 6 to 10 plots to work with.

In its most basic form, the definition of plagiarism is not just limited
to written works (really, check any dictionary).  And who says the West
Side Story plot wasn't plagiarized from Romeo and Juliet?  Plagiarism
isn't illegal (only copyright infringement), so it really doesn't make a
difference.