What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism doesn’t immediately sound very serious, but if we replace the word ‘Plagiarism’ with such a word as ‘Stealing’, then it sound much more serious. Plagiarism is basically the theft of something which is not yours. In the design world plagiarism is a big deal and happens more often that it would first seem. There have been thousands of court cases over plagiarism, to which almost always the plagiarizer will lose. It is very easy to plagiarise without realising it, so it is very important that you can prove that your work is yours, and has come from all your ideas. Also make sure that any inspirations for your work are noted, as if you create something very similar to that of the artists work you were inspired by, then this will be seen as an act of plagiarism.

According to the ‘Oxford Dictionary’, Plagiarism means: “The Practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own”

(http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/plagiarism)

What Are The Different Types of Plagiarism?

There are many different types of plagiarism, some can be on purpose and some can be by mistake. According to ‘Plagiarism.org’, these are the 10 most common types of plagiarism:

10 Types of Plagiarism [1]

Remember that these are just the 10 main examples, there are many more so you need to be aware of these incase you begin to plagiarize yourself.

An Example of Plagiarism:

In the clothing industry, plagiarism is a huge issue. Almost everyday they are stealing ideas from each other, but it is companies such as ‘Forever 21’, ‘Urban Outfitters’ and ‘Primark’ who are plagiarizing other people’s work. One example I have found is a piece of clothing, which was originally designed by a company called ‘FATE’. Which the company ‘Forever 21’ very closely plagiarized the design. It can probably be seen as an example of a clone as ‘Forever 21’ are passing off the clothing shown below as their own.

The ‘FATE’ clothing is on the left and the ‘Forever 21’ clothing is on the right.

Clothing Comparison - youthoughtwewoldntnotice.com [2]

The website ‘youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com’ provides some great examples of plagiarism within the design world, you will be shocked at some of the things you see, especially in the larger companies that are shown to have plagiarised.

There is a big difference in creating something which is uniquely yours, and creating something which is similar to something else. It is better to use bits of other artists work to inspire that of your own. As you will have to create something of your own style. If you are unsure of what your style is, then you need to find it. As above, if you copy someone else's design, you are very unlikely to make it within the design industry. If you are found to plagiarise, your design career is basically over.

What is Homage?

Homage can be closely linked in with plagiarism, but it is a more accepted kind of plagiarism. According to the ‘Oxford Dictionary’, Homage means: “Special honor or respect shown publicly” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/homage)

To me, Homage can be when another artist uses the main idea of another artist’s piece of work, which is well known and recognized. So people who see the Homage work recognize that the work is not the original piece and the artist has not tried to copy someone else’s work. They also credit the original artist within their work. One example is the very well known painting, ’The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, by ‘Katsushika Hokusai’.

The Great Wave Off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai [3]

This is one piece of artwork that has been produced in various different ways, but through homage as it is such a well-known piece of artwork. One example of homage I have found is a doorstop by a man called, ‘Clive Roddy’. In his description of the doorstep he says, “The design is both a functional doorstop and small wooden diorama that pays homage to the iconic image ‘the great wave off Kanagawa‘ by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.”

The Great Wave Off Kanagawa Door Stop [4]

‘Clive Ruddy’ has also produced a ring in homage to ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’.

The Great Wave Off Kanagawa Ring [5]

The big question that often arises is, is this plagiarism? The answer would be no if the artist creating the work says that the work is not based on their own ideas and concepts, but using another artists ideas. To which they would have to ask the artist for permission to do so. Unless the artwork is very well known (Such as “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”) and the work created clearly is not an attempt of plagiarism.

How can I protect myself from plagiarism?

It is hard to say how to protect your work from plagiarism because it is so easy to have your work plagiarized. But there is such things in place as intellectual property rights, copyright laws and creative piracy protection. I myself am yet to experience any plagiarism of my own work, but that could be due to me not using social media/the internet to showcase my work. I must start doing this however, as I need to begin networking to begin my career in the design world.

Image References:
[1]http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/types-of-plagiarism/
[2]http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/page/5/
[3]http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/45434
[4]http://www.cliveroddy.co.uk/shop/the-great-wave-off-kanagawa-wooden-doorstop
[5]http://www.cliveroddy.co.uk/shop/wave-ring