Plagiarism in Activity Creation

buffy500 · Post by **buffy500** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 9:32 am

dee4141 wrote:I don't like these type of threads. Like every other activity writer I am now asking myself is it me? Have I done something wrong? To have spent a couple of weeks - and sometimes more - trying to get an activity right for the benefit of the community and then to come across a thread like this is soul destroying. I for one am beginning to wonder if uploading to UKTS is worth the hassle ...... .

And having spent many weeks righting an activity, how would you feel if I uploaded one which was based 95% on YOUR previous hard work and clearly and prominetly claimed it was all mine without mentioning your work AT ALL ?
This is exactly what is being complained about.

BR7MT · Post by **BR7MT** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:18 am

Just to ram the point home - it is the credits in the readme file and the lack of seeking permission that are the points of contention.

Regards,

Dan

mjspeed · Post by **mjspeed** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:35 am

Perhaps there should be some sort of rule /guideline that states that an acknowledgement needs to be made in the upload description, or readme file? And if one isn't there, then the activitiy would not be accepted for upload?

jp4712 · Post by **jp4712** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:44 am

mjspeed wrote:Perhaps there should be some sort of rule /guideline that states that an acknowledgement needs to be made in the upload description, or readme file? And if one isn't there, then the activitiy would not be accepted for upload?

Good point, but it isn't always clear for the site admin - without either a photographic memory or a huge amount of time available to check - what has been 'borrowed' from a previous activity.

The moderation team and interested parties are looking at some clear, user-friendly guidelines to get the balance right. Rather than look back I'd rather look forward to setting up some simple way forward that we can all work to. A consensus appears to be emerging that paths and consists are 'fair game' for want of a better phrase - after all you don't want paths from A to B being proliferated for no benefit - but traffic patterns and overall 'theme' are to be regarded as the IP of the originator (I stress this is my take, not an official view).

Paul

[edited to clarify my point that I was referring to site admin checking, not the uploader]

dee4141 · Post by **dee4141** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:45 am

And having spent many weeks righting an activity, how would you feel if I uploaded one which was based 95% on YOUR previous hard work and clearly and prominetly claimed it was all mine without mentioning your work AT ALL ?
This is exactly what is being complained about

I wouldn't like it. But I would write a pm to the offender or complain privately to the moderators rather than initiate a public and damaging "witchhunt" like this. This type of thread just breeds suspicion and discontent.

buffy500 · Post by **buffy500** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 12:41 pm

No witchhunt here, just seeking of clarification of the 'rules' prior to formal complaints being made.
If someone felt guilty (as sin,btw) then they knew what they were doing was wrong.

Anonymizeruk · Post by **Anonymizeruk** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 12:50 pm

With anything that I did for UKTS release in the past, I always had something in the readme regarding permissions.

Usually went along the lines of 'do with this whatever you like, so long as you credit me for the parts that I did'

Crystal clear

dkightley · Post by **dkightley** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:04 pm

Just to keep everyone informed, the Moderation team are currently discussing the possiblity of an initiative to make the whole subject of copyright a lot easier to understand.

So....to quote those famous words...."Watch this space!"

Doug

buffy500 · Post by **buffy500** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:08 pm

Doug,

To be fair, the basics aren't rocket science even now !

Is it ALL your own work ? - Yes then no problems.
If not, does the person who's work it is agree to you using it ? If they agree no problems.

phill70 · Post by **phill70** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:27 pm

In a basic form Dave has it, not rocket science, very simple.

buffy500 · Post by **buffy500** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:43 pm

And to give an example, don't take an activity that may have taken 50 or more hours to write, make changes which probably took 5 minutes at best, and then do your damright utmost to claim it all as your own work.
It may not be obvious exactly who did the work you are making use of in yours, but some statement accepting the fact that its "based on" or "uses elements of" would have gone a long long way to resolving this particular issue.

NiallGray · Post by **NiallGray** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:57 pm

Never had a problem with it, but then up until recently I was the only one who had written any activities at all for Glasgow - Carlisle!

On a serious note, I have given permission to a couple of people to use some of my paths (and a service as well) on the basis they don't change a thing. It's not so much copyright I am worried about, it's people using something of mine, changing it slightly and thus messing up my acts already written.

depman2004 · Post by **depman2004** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:38 pm

Well I was in the middle of making an activity for steyning, but this has left a sour taste now.
I dont know whether I can upload or not.

I have made a few activities recently and Im not at all bothered about credit,just as long as whoever downloaded them enjoyed them.

I can understand someone getting annoyed with an activity that took them a week, and then someone else edits it in 5 minutes and reuses it for their credit.
That would annoy me.
It took me a week to do an activity recently for the Highland mainline route and I would be annoyed if someone edited it for their credit.
But one would hope that people wouldn't do that sort of thing to an activity that was uploaded,in fact it surely is common knowledge not to tread on someone elses work.

The only other thing that kind of annoys me is that there always seems to be a little argument cropping up in the train sim community and it just makes a lot of people like myself angry and disheartened with the hobby we all enjoy.

mickrik · Post by **mickrik** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 6:16 pm

Hi there,

Having discovered that someone has skanked off with some of my hard work and calling it their own, I am well mad. I only found this thread an hour ago and have been digesting it. I am in absolute agreement with Dave who started the thread. I have an activity with a traffic file that took a month to prepare and I was right proud of it. To find that someone else has used it and changed the weather and it's name and the player consist and substitute a couple of AI consists. It even runs at the same time but the person was not smart enough to change the time table (Which I manually worked out) so the AI's don't quite run right.

so there's my two pennieth!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mickrik

depman2004 · Post by **depman2004** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 7:09 pm

I cant understand why someone would want to do this.
Are we talking about one individual here that has done this?