What is the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement?
Many people confuse the two, but copyright infringement and plagiarism are different concepts. Plagiarism occurs when a dishonest writer, or some other person, copies another’s words or ideas without attributing them to the true author. Black’s Law Dictionary 1170 (7th ed.1999). With plagiarism, it does not matter whether the words are copyrighted ? you still can get into plagiarism trouble by stealing from the public domain. Also, plagiarism is an ethical offense, as opposed to a legal transgression, and the person guilty of plagiarism ?only? suffers the rebuke of the community, whether it be academic or otherwise. Kindergartners Count, Inc. v. DeMoulin, 249 F.Supp.2d 1233, 1251 -1252 (D. Kan., 2003). Still, the lack of judicial remedy does not make plagiarism any less serious of an offense. Copyright infringement is a legal offense, subject to monetary damages and injunctions imposed by a court of law. It occurs when a person, knowingly or unknowingly, violates the exclusive right of
