Sorry for coming in pretty much out of the blue, but, hey, shaming someone who apparently plagiarized your fanfic is one thing.
What do you do - purely as a hypothetical - when you're pretty sure that someone has infringed on a work in progress that you posted online *as* a work in progress, and published it, maybe with some minor corrections, as a book chapter?
What I do is nothing; I'm not getting any money out of this to begin with, I'm not sure I have a cause of action, and even if I do and I manage to litigate this anywhere, what do I get in the end other than satisfaction...and a few dozen thousand in attorney fees that I then can either litigate some more for, or just pay out of pocket...
An in progress work put online is still a work protectged by copyright. Minor corrections don't get you out of an infringement suit if the work is substantially reproduced. If there's a cause of action and the other person is making enough money out of my work to make it worth it, then yes, I would still go to the expense and effort of protecting my rights as a copyright owner.
Also, keep in mind that a lot of cases don't go to get court and get litigated. Sensible parties don't get to that stage, they settle, though yes, you are still paying for legal fees.
Comments 2
What do you do - purely as a hypothetical - when you're pretty sure that someone has infringed on a work in progress that you posted online *as* a work in progress, and published it, maybe with some minor corrections, as a book chapter?
What I do is nothing; I'm not getting any money out of this to begin with, I'm not sure I have a cause of action, and even if I do and I manage to litigate this anywhere, what do I get in the end other than satisfaction...and a few dozen thousand in attorney fees that I then can either litigate some more for, or just pay out of pocket...
Reply
Also, keep in mind that a lot of cases don't go to get court and get litigated. Sensible parties don't get to that stage, they settle, though yes, you are still paying for legal fees.
Reply
Leave a comment