As kids we were quite accustomed to that phrase in school. Especially when the teacher would give us some dictations (like spelling bee tests). If you copied my spelling, I would call you a copy cat and the whole class would join the rhyme. You’d expect me to that I’ve grown out of that phrase. Sure I have, but not out of the inbuilt reaction when someone copies my stuff. Especially my ideas.
Who's copied your idea?
Since long I’ve been working on a certain Facebook page. I’d keep it interesting by sourcing content from a certain blog full of quotes and articles for the page’s niche. It kept the facebook fans of the page interested. Now another organization’s employee who’s an acquaintance, copied out my idea and began to do the same for his page. The used the same sources too. Ordinarily it wouldn’t matter. But the problem is both our fan pages catered to the same niche and we both had comparable content.
Later he went a step further to source content from popular novels’ summaries that were available on the net. I felt like my idea of sourcing content from popular blogs were being copied. He could think of another way to make his page content interesting couldn’t he? It is all the more ridiculous when both our status updates appear in the streams simultaneously and one has a quote, as does the other.
Pablo Picasso once wrote: “Good artists copy, Great artists steal” I guess he’s been in that place too!
There’s sometimes not much you can do when your idea is stolen. It remains a grey area till today in most cases. But you can deal with the attitude and emotions that go along with it:
- You’re not alone: If you ever think you’re the only one out there stuck with someone copying your work, you’re not alone! My pastor too talked of someone getting the credit for an idea he had started off initially. I think he’s over it but he still remembers it so it was quite big a deal. Then there is noted blogger Jon Acuff who wrote a whole article after his stuff was being blatantly plagiarized off of Stuff Christians Like. Imagine how Apple feels when they find out that all new touch phones came out after they conceived the Iphone first!
- Take it as a compliment: Yea, don’t swear back at them. If you’re idea is copied, consider it really good to have qualified for the honor. If people are using your idea it’s most probably because it’s really good. This should help you to deal with all the anger, and frustration that comes with the thought.
- Consider it as a challenge to your creativity: It’s not you who’s the ultimate loser, it’s the one who’s copied. He having taken the idea, it puts you in a spot to push your creative juices and come up with a new improved one. You’re ideating, not him. Your mind’s getting creative not his. I’m now coming up with some really creative ideas for the facebook page – some which I would never have thought of before this.
- The copycat is not always ‘copying’ it per se: Jon Acuff later found out that the guy doing the plagiarism of his articles was a novice trying to find an article for his church’s new blog who really didn’t know much about copyrights. By the way I’ve done that so often even without credits!
- It’s not the end of the world: Don’t let it bog you down. The worst part is when you give up because everyone is copying stuff. Like I said, if Apple had given up, they wouldn’t be at the forefront of the tech world today would they? So keep ideating and creating. You were built for it!
- Your ideas were probably not yours anyway: I’m sticking my neck out on this one but, noted author Elizabeth Gilbert says in her speech “Allowing somebody, one mere person, to believe that he or she is the vessel, the font and the essence and the source of all divine, creative, unknowable eternal mystery is just a smidge too much responsibility to put on one fragile human psyche. It’s like asking someone to swallow the sun.” In simple words, your ideas come from other higher places that loan it to you. Copycats are just borrowing it.
- Admit it. You’ve COPIED too: No it’s not the same as the previous point. In closing I just want to say, your ideas coming from all those higher places are original ideas gifted to you. But I’m sure you know the times when you’ve purposefully stolen an idea. I remember when I initially started out my church newsletter; the first three newsletters’ content was exactly similar to that of an uptown church. I would just copy because I had no other sources at the time. Haven’t you copied too? This is karma at work people.
I’ll end with this quote: “So here’s my blog. And there’s your gift, waiting to be used. Don’t let it be stolen. You might have damaged it and bruised it in the past. Someone close to you may have tried to snuff it out. But it’s there. Tired of being silent, desperate to sing.” – Jon Acuff
What are you’re thoughts on the copyright a.k.a. right to copy?
