Plagiarism on Spacebattles

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2006-11-22 05:41pm

Thank you to Datana for this link:

http://forum.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=109730

I posted less than five times on there and I don't believe my account is active if it even exists over there. This is not only bullshit, but terrible bullshit, the guy couldn't even rewrite my stuff at above a third grade level (which is what I write at). I see he's already been given a temp ban in the thread but if I could get a little help contacting the staff over there to let them know that this is a rip off of my work i'd be appreciative.

I'm only just seeing this now and i'm pretty pissed.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2006-11-22 06:35pm

I sent Fenris a pm on your behalf saying what you said here.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-11-22 06:37pm

So if they've determined it's plagiarism, why is it still even up?

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2006-11-22 06:44pm

RedImperator wrote:So if they've determined it's plagiarism, why is it still even up?

The thread is locked. They really don't delete too often over there.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-11-22 08:00pm

CaptainChewbacca wrote:
RedImperator wrote:So if they've determined it's plagiarism, why is it still even up?
The thread is locked. They really don't delete too often over there.

That's not the same thing by any stretch of the imagination. The little asswipe posted a plagiarized story; the first thing that should be done is that it should be taken down. Otherwise, the act is still being committed even if he has been temp banned.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2006-11-22 09:49pm

The post doesn't even have to be deleted, they can edit out the contents.

Post by **Steve** » 2006-11-22 10:07pm

LOL

It's like the moron realized the jig was up and apparently tried to "change" the story to avoid plagirism charges.

I have to leave for work in a few, but tomorrow I'll try to catch someone with authority at SB and see if they can delete it. They probably figured that since it's no longer on the first page of the default twenty-five thread page, it's doomed to obscurity.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-11-22 10:44pm

Steve wrote:They probably figured that since it's no longer on the first page of the default twenty-five thread page, it's doomed to obscurity.

It's not. It's the third hit on a Google search for "Scars of Mustafar". Anyone looking for Fanboy's fic is just as likely to run into that imbecile's third rate copy.

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2006-11-22 11:02pm

Stofsk wrote:The post doesn't even have to be deleted, they can edit out the contents.

I agree, it should be left as evidence. They should put in the thread title and the OP body "plagiarism" in big bold letters with a link to the true story and leave it at that. Why erase someone's misdeed?

Post by **Steve** » 2006-11-23 08:03am

Soontir C'boath wrote:
Stofsk wrote:The post doesn't even have to be deleted, they can edit out the contents.
I agree, it should be left as evidence. They should put in the thread title and the OP body "plagiarism" in big bold letters with a link to the true story and leave it at that. Why erase someone's misdeed?

I posted your suggestion to the SB Admin Forum.

Sidewinder · Post by **Sidewinder** » 2006-11-23 03:12pm

It's surprising this 'Kamin 989' guy didn't even bother to email you for permission to use the setting you modified from George Lucas'. (I use characters created by other fan fic writers in my work, but I do email them for permission to do so and post disclaimers in my work.)

This is... Damn. I expect Kamin 989 to die a painful, horrible, and humiliating death in the next chapter of 'Unnamed Porno Fanfic'.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-11-23 03:48pm

Sidewinder wrote:It's surprising this 'Kamin 989' guy didn't even bother to email you for permission to use the setting you modified from George Lucas'

Considering that he plagiarised Fanboy in the first place, something like that doesn't surprise me in the least.

Ritterin Sophia · Post by **Ritterin Sophia** » 2006-11-23 05:01pm

In the thread he posted it someone revealed he had a history of plagiarism.

Post by **Steve** » 2006-11-23 11:55pm

I posted Soontir's suggestion to the SB admin forum and Reaperman accepted it, placing at the top of the thread's OP the note that the story is plagarised.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-11-24 12:03am

Steve wrote:I posted Soontir's suggestion to the SB admin forum and Reaperman accepted it, placing at the top of the thread's OP the note that the story is plagarised.

So the Spacebattles administration has boldly demonstrated its intolerance of plagiarism...by adding a disclaimer that says "This story was plagiarized" and leaving the plagiarized story in place? For fuck's sake, Reaperman's disclaimer doesn't even say from whom the story was plagiarized! The administration over there has done essentially nothing: the act of plagiarism is still going on, and being allowed to go on, despite whatever limp-wristed punishment kamin got. What kind of half-assed moderation is that?

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2006-11-24 12:08am

Steve wrote:I posted Soontir's suggestion to the SB admin forum and Reaperman accepted it, placing at the top of the thread's OP the note that the story is plagarised.

It was actually my suggestion, and if you read what I wrote, I said you don't have to delete, you can edit out the contents. In other words, his posts remain, the story doesn't however, replaced with the note "This was a plagiarised story and has been removed."

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-11-24 12:38am

So what the hell do you have to do over there to receive some form of genuine punishment? This "ignoring the context of the problem" issue barely even qualifies as a slap on the wrist.

I guess reports of Space Battle's improvement in this sort of regard was nothing more than a hollow promise...

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2006-11-24 02:27am

Thank you to all who did what they could to help. I appreciate the assistance, to those who messaged the SB moderator staff and to Datana for bringing it to my attention.

I'm trying to check the thread again on there to see for myself what all has been done and I'm not even seeing the thread anymore. So perhaps it was deleted or moved somewhere where I can't view it. Either way i'm happy with how this turned out, I guess.

Post by **Steve** » 2006-11-24 10:08am

Stofsk wrote:
Steve wrote:I posted Soontir's suggestion to the SB admin forum and Reaperman accepted it, placing at the top of the thread's OP the note that the story is plagarised.
It was actually my suggestion, and if you read what I wrote, I said you don't have to delete, you can edit out the contents. In other words, his posts remain, the story doesn't however, replaced with the note "This was a plagiarised story and has been removed."

Soontir also made such a suggestion, and it was his post I was thinking of when I made the suggestion in SB's admin forum.

It is partially my fault, possibly, that the plagarist's posts haven't been wiped, as I didn't think to suggest such a thing. I apologize, and I have made such a suggestion now to the admins (I can't implement this myself as I have not been a supermod since the end of March).

As for the plagarist asswipe, he was banned for two weeks after Fenris located our prior precedent for such bannings, and he will be warned that the next time means a permban. Take that as you will.

What does it take to get perm-banned from SB? You must either A) be a spambot, B) a member who was banned and tried to circumvent it, or C) revprez, who is about the only major permban save for Deimos Anomaly, DarkStar, and Stewie that has not been subsequently challenged and rescinded since my retirement back around the beginning of April.

It's perfectly okay if you're an anti-Semite Canadian fascist who trolls and baits mods routinely, so long as you remember to toe the line and obey the letter of the rules. And having your own server with anime and porn doesn't hurt. [sarcasm]Can't ban people like that, y'know. That'd make the boards less fun![/sarcasm]

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2006-11-24 11:31am

Its now back up, with the story itself deleted.

The weird coincidence in all of this? The thread was locked on the day my birthday. Heheheh.

Pick · Post by **Pick** » 2006-11-24 11:49am

I'm always surprised by the breadth of plagarism. Do they really think they won't get caught? If they were really able to write a good story, they'd do that instead of steal it. Therefore, why try to set up pretenses that can't hold?

*sigh* People.

I'm at least glad this has been taken care of.

LordShaithis · Post by **LordShaithis** » 2006-11-24 05:06pm

So write more Scars of Mustafar already, damn it! *cracks whip*

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2006-11-25 11:58am

If that Kamin is this Kamin, then here's his own works for you to see: here

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-11-25 01:18pm

Shroom Man 777 wrote:If that Kamin is this Kamin, then here's his own works for you to see: here

Well what a surprise--it's unreadable juvenile garbage. Who would have ever thought a plagiarist couldn't hack it on his own?

Pick wrote:I'm always surprised by the breadth of plagarism. Do they really think they won't get caught? If they were really able to write a good story, they'd do that instead of steal it. Therefore, why try to set up pretenses that can't hold?

What's there to lose? You don't have to invest any effort besides copy and paste, and if you don't get caught, people praise you. And if you do, well, so what? What's the worst punishment you'll get? If you're plagiarizing commercial works, then you might have to worry, but fanfiction? The author doesn't even legally own the copyright (this doesn't apply to original fiction, of course--original works are automatically copyrighted as soon as they're set down on paper).

I don't understand how people could enjoy getting praise and acclaim for work someone else did either, but then, you and I can actually write a story other people want to read on our own. If you're a talentless hack like Kamin, stealing better writers' stuff is probably as close to producing praise-worthy material as you're ever going to get.