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Eric Russ
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 13 March 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 2006
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 8:57pm | IP Logged | 1
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Hi everybody -
How would you define the difference between
plagiarism and being"inspired" by someone else's
work?
Or maybe I should say "ripping" off an idea - being
that plagarim is trying to pass the original work off as
your own - What limits should a person place on
their "inspirations" so that they do not reach the
realms of "ripped off?"
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Jay Matthews
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 11 October 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2468
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:02pm | IP Logged | 2
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Well, if you consider the example of the Swamp Thing and Man Thing, the critical difference between inspiration and ripoff seems to be a sort of dangling snout-like trunk.
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Robert Cosgrove
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 January 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1710
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:05pm | IP Logged | 3
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Jay, I may be obtuse but I don't get your reply.
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Stephen Rockwood
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 1255
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:08pm | IP Logged | 4
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The difference between inspiration and a rip-off is that those who are inspired come up with their own ideas founded on the inspiration. A rip-off is when someone looks at something someone else has done, decides to do the same exact thing and claims they came up with it.
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Jay Matthews
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 11 October 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2468
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:08pm | IP Logged | 5
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You're not obtuse. I'm just a smart aleck.
Swamp Thing and Man-Thing seem to clearly fall in the rip off category. There's a story behind that, but Man-Thing's dangly snout is one of the few differences in them.
On some level, I guess I'm suggesting that if you get too close, it's a rip off no matter what. Go ahead and be "inspired," but you have to come up with something truly different or it's a rip off.
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Charles Nago
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 23 January 2006
Posts: 191
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:12pm | IP Logged | 6
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"Come up with something truly different or it's a ripp off."
Well, I guess by that standard most of comics are "ripp offs."
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Didier Yvon Paul Fayolle
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 January 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 5254
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:19pm | IP Logged | 7
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In no time someone is going to say that everything has already been made and we are just .... recycling !
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Jason Czeskleba
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Joined: 30 April 2004
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:27pm | IP Logged | 8
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Swamp Thing and Man-Thing were created at the same time, independently of each other; neither was a copy of the other. Swamp Thing was created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson, Man-Thing by Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas. Surprisingly, Wein and Conway were roommates at the time, but they both report they have no recollection of discussing the characters at the time they were being developed, so any similarity is a coincidence. Or more likely it's due to the fact both characters were largely inspired by an earlier character called the Heap:
I wouldn't say Man-Thing's snout is the only difference, either. The fact that Swamp Thing retains his human intellect while Man-Thing is completely mindless is a pretty significant difference.
Edited by Jason Czeskleba on 06 April 2006 at 9:30pm
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Jay Matthews
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Joined: 11 October 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2468
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:30pm | IP Logged | 9
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That's what I meant when I said "there's a story behind that." Despite all that (and Conway has been backtracking a bit and pointing the finger at Wein), they didn't end up with a product that has enough differences. Not just the appearance, but the origins, stories, etc.
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Jason Czeskleba
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:41pm | IP Logged | 10
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Jay, you responded before I edited to add my comment about the
characters' respective intellects. Anyway, the characters' intellect
is a notable difference. Have you read many of the stories from the
original runs of those characters? I think they are quite different in
approach, tone, and structure. The fact that Man-Thing is mindless
means the stories almost always focus on the people he meets rather
than himself, whereas the Swamp Thing stories are more conventional in
their focus on Swamp Thing, his thoughts and actions. Certainly the
characters' origins and abilities are similar, but the stories
themselves are quite different.
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Jay Matthews
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 11 October 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2468
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| Posted: 06 April 2006 at 9:48pm | IP Logged | 11
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Concur on that point. But if it weren't for that, it would be completely laughable. I mean, you even have the magic element taking over the stories. For Swamp Thing, it was Arcane and Abby, and with Man-Thing, I forget but there was the wizard and girl.
Both companies came up with a good product, and made some good stories without copying each other. But the average person would look at it as potential rip off stuff.
I have a recent Conway interview where he starts to stick to the party line about coincidence, then he says --but Man-Thing was first, and I brought the drawings home, and Len saw them. And the next thing I know there's a Swamp Thing coming out, but I'm not saying he copied the idea.
That's not a quote, it's a paraphrase.
Edited to add the word "not," as in Conway said "I'm not saying he copied the idea."
Edited by Jay Matthews on 07 April 2006 at 4:57am
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Emery Calame
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5773
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| Posted: 07 April 2006 at 1:31am | IP Logged | 12
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Swamp Thing and Manthing are both sort of derivative of the Heap aren't they?
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Topic Closed)
