I wasn't too interested in this copyright "dispute" going on -- Cooks Source magazine stole some woman's article, claiming anything on Web is "public domain" -- until I saw what the editor wrote back to the woman when she complained, asking for a printed apology and 10 cents a word, or $130, to be donated to the Columbia School of Journalism. (I thought I'd heard and seen everything!) Get a load of this ...
"Yes Monica, I have been doing this for 3 decades, having been an editor at The Voice, Housitonic Home and Connecticut Woman Magazine. I do know about copyright laws. It was "my bad" indeed, and, as the magazine is put together in long sessions, tired eyes and minds somethings forget to do these things.
But honestly Monica, the web is considered "public domain" and you should be happy we just didn't "lift" your whole article and put someone else's name on it! It happens a lot, clearly more than you are aware of, especially on college campuses, and the workplace. If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally. Now it will work well for your portfolio. For that reason, I have a bit of a difficult time with your requests for monetary gain, albeit for such a fine (and very wealthy!) institution. We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me! I never charge young writers for advice or rewriting poorly written pieces, and have many who write for me... ALWAYS for free!"
I would maybe be OK with this idiot (Cooks Source managing editor) Judith Griggs keeping her job if she had been contrite about what she did. I'm going to assume that she felt that by keeping the byline intact she wasn't completely stealing -- although she was -- as anyone who has been in the business for three days, let alone THREE DECADES, knows. But not only did she send that disgusting letter to the victim, Monica Gaudio, she then went on Facebook and gloated about how much attention her actions had gotten the magazine!
Here's what she wrote:
"You did find a way to get your 'pound of flesh...' we used to have 110 'friends,' we now have 1,870 ... wow!"
This woman needs to be shut down immediately.
Friday, November 05, 2010
You Should Be Thanking ME for Stealing From You!
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5 comments:
If you get the chance, please keep track of this situation. I'd love to hear this woman has been fired.
It's easy to see that a line was crossed here. But where that line is is getting blurrier. I'm a blogger--though not as successful as you, Kenneth--and I've been watching the Las Vegas Review Journal copyright frenzy with interest and a little fear.
LVRJ has a legal group scouring the web for bloggers and websites using their work--even if properly attributed, excerpted--and they don't care if it's a huge website or a tiny blogger. Then the group buys the rights to the piece, and sues the pants off of the site owner.
I know that this is the opposite extreme, but copyright law is going to have big changes soon. I don't have a lot of confidence that the courts come down on the liberal side.
The law is squarely on the author's side in this case. Case after case after case has been decided in favor of the original author. Truly amazing that a professional editor wouldn't be more informed on copyright law. You'd think respecting intellectual property would be in a magazine editor's best interest!
Can't believe that the editor was stupid enough to admit to it ("my bad"), reject a more than reasonable settlement, and then be crass enough to brag about it on Facebook. The woman needs to be fired, if only to protect the magazine from future stupidity.
Wait -- you mean that journalism is worth money? And journalists should be earning a decent wage? I'm shocked, SHOCKED!
(Please, Rupert Murdoch, save us from ourselves!)
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