some years ago.

A series of articles I wrote for a magazine were lifted wholesale and reproduced as the sleeve notes for a collection of major label CDs. The sleeve notes were credited to a (very) well-known folk music writer (and a man I'd actually met).

After being fobbed-off by the London branch of the record company I faxed the parent company in New York. Imagine my surprise when I got a call from the project manager in charge of the CD releases.

In hindsight I suspect he thought I had a team of high-powered lawyers poised and ready to sue his arse and was keen to settle out of court. In reality nothing was further from the truth, I had no way of taking legal action at all.

To cut a long story short, he confessed they were bang to rights and admitted to having read my original articles. He offered me a sum not unadjacent to TWICE the fee I'd originally been paid for the articles, plus a promise to change the credits on subsequent pressings of the CDs. I also got a huge box of free CDs.

Ten years on, I'm still waiting for the change of credit (the CDs are still in print), but the cheque arrived as promised.

In the end I got a result and was happy, if a little shaken to find that this kind of skulduggery goes on at such a high level.

In a much smaller way a couple of months ago. A blog post I wrote on my own site appeared as an almost word for word copy on a well known American site - accompanied by the same image.

What made it particularly galling is that the post in question was up on this site dealing with issues of Foreign Policy in their New Ideas section!

I wrote the editor a very polite missive, it was roundly ignored.

I remembered everything that I had read in Flat Earth News, then forgot about it.

Unless you were paid for the original writing - and it is protected by copyright - the most you can expect is some form of attribution as amends, and for most of us that would be enough.

In a much smaller way a couple of months ago. A blog post I wrote on my own site appeared as an almost word for word copy on a well known American site - accompanied by the same image.

What made it particularly galling is that the post in question was up on this site dealing with issues of Foreign Policy in their New Ideas section!

I wrote the editor a very polite missive, it was roundly ignored.

I remembered everything that I had read in Flat Earth News, then forgot about it.

Unless you were paid for the original writing - and it is protected by copyright - the most you can expect is some form of attribution as amends, and for most of us that would be enough.

Stop press: Spooky that we just wrote the very same words but hours apart! In my case instead of thinking and writing for several minutes I used cut and paste and it took a second. Perhaps 2 seconds. I suppose it's the written equivalent of illegal downloading of music. Did the blog have a comments section where you could put a link to your earlier blog? When politicians have given speeches nicked wholesale from elsewhere they are usually brought to account and expected to resign. A simple acknowledgement of the original source would resolve this situation.

Even The Word have had stories nicked and passed off as "exclusive" by other journals methinks.

As Beany says, when your stuff is plagiarised online, the most you can expect after complaining is a credit.

It's happened to me countless times and if it's unattributed I always send a polite email and they usually add a credit.

It's a different matter in the print media, but when it's online there's really not much you can do about it.

It does amaze me though that anyone would be happy ripping off someone else's work. I had a bizarre experience myself, years back. I went for a job interview as a radio promo producer, and bought my showreel along, full of trails I'd written and edited myself, including one ridiculous promo about exploding pensioners (yes, yes, very bad taste, it was a long time ago).

Turns out someone else, boarding for the same job, also had a trail on their showreel about exploding pensioners.

He'd heard my trail, copied it word-for-word, re-recorded it and then passed it off as completely his own work.

Happily, the truth came out, and I got the job, but that was strange.

Thing is, I got to know the guy later (we wound up working together), and I eventually realised that he hadn't done it maliciously, he'd just liked the idea, used it himself, but hadn't thought to let me know or give me any sort of writing credit.

PS Related website: http://www.youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/
Basically, a place for people to complain when their designs are stolen by others. Focuses on design rather than writing. Unfortunately there's often not a lot you can do.

...taking the step of employing a solicitor* to communicate the details of the misappropriation of your work, thus alerting the other party to the fact and giving them the opportunity to remedy the situation, would stand you in good stead for any further action should they ignore you, wouldn't it?

*You needn't necessarily even go that far. When my parent's business was libelled on a forum, a carefully- and assuredly-worded email to the webmaster reminding them of their own personal liability in the matter was all it took to prompt both a profuse apology and an assurance to put things right.

"The Massive Attacks", anybody?

(the OP doesn't make it clear (or clear enough for my tiny faculties to be sure at any rate) if his friend's work is enjoying the correct attribution or not)

It happened to someone who posts on another board I occasionally visit.

He'd taken some photographs of a local event, and had published them on his own website. A few months later one of the national newspapers ran an article on one of the entrants at this event, and paid him a small sum for the use of his photographs.

A short while later another newspaper (I won't say which, but it rhymes with Daily Fail) ran a similar article on the same person but this time without obtaining permission to use his photographs.

After protracted threats to the Daily Bigot with legal action, he eventually received a payment of over £1000 for use of these photographs.

He's finally managed to get credit for his work after sending a few e-mails, so the world isn't all bad. Still, I'm sure the there'll be more victims in the future. Ta for the comments, even if it is slightly worrying that this kind of thing seems to be a regular occurance- makes you wonder what they go to journalism school for, doesn't it?

http://londonist.com/2011/01/myvillage-accused-of-stealing-london-blogge...

Tom, glad your friend got the credit.