The Difference between Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism—and Why It Matters
« Reading a recent article in The Atlantic and the subsequent comments, I was struck again by how much confusion there is among the public about the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement.
The difference matters—not least because plagiarism, while dishonest and reprehensible, is not illegal. Copyright infringement is. Copyright infringement can, in fact, constitute criminal behavior, as opposed to a civil infraction, and sometimes even rises to the level of a felony. (Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 113 of the U.S. Code section §2319 discusses copyright infringement as an example of “stolen property” and provides for penalties including up to ten years of imprisonment for more egregious examples.) (…) »
