reviews_and_ramblings | Strange Things Happened...

Strange Things Happened...

In the last few days I have found some comments from Anonymous in my LJ. They are pretty nasty comments. So to the first I didn't reply but I leave it (it was in a very old post, so I was thinking no bad can arrive from it). But today I have found another two comments, always from anonymous: one again in the same post and was a pretty strong accuse to a book I read and the comment is against the author; in this particular case I don't know personally the writer, but I don't like they use my LJ to throw nastiness. The second comment is "pure" spam. So I have deleted all the three comments and signalated them as "spam". I write this post only to assure you that I have never before deleted a comment, even if from anonymous. But in this case I think I'm in my right to do so.

Elisa

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

That's so annoying; sorry you had to deal with that :-(

It's the first time in more than a year. Maybe my journal is object of something, I don't know. Fortunately I check it very often and can monitor all the comments. I don't like to delete a comment, but I don't want that my journal been used for quarrelling. Elisa

I can't understand what is wrong with him/her. Anonymous? It's not fair.
Why didn't you leave them for me to analyze?

First Comment:
"Just want to let you know that this story has been blatantly plagiarised. I read a very similar story years ago in a star trek slash fanfiction site. The link is below. The similarities just blew me away starting with the first scene
"

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Third Comment:
"Yes. It was written by *me* several years ago and can be found on my website . I have contacted the publishers today to warn them to cease publication. They actually had the cheek to suggest that *I* had stolen the story. I am in contact with a lawyer and unless the publishers retract their statements and cease and desist from publication of my work under the name of this person, they won't have enough money to publish any more stolen stories after I have finished with them!>

Fourth Comment
"I can comment as fast as you can delete....
This book was written by me. The story was stolen and I intend to sue the publisher. If you are in any way connected to this theft, I suggest you remove this review promoting stolen goods, otherwise I will include you in my lawsuit.>

This last was unbelievable...

Well, first two are apparently spam, and really funny. I assume that those people are searching around to put their ad.

For third and fourth comment, the author should know that this blog is not the space to argue over this subject except the owner offers for it. It's sorry that the problem is her(I believe) own. First the author herself must resolve it legally. It's waste of time to leave here comments. If it's true, I hope the author will win the case and inform you it immediately. Isn't it reasonable?

You are right that have deleted them, and sorry for bothering. But I really laughed viagra ads.

I have no idea which specific book the plagiarism comments refer to, but I have to say that there is a streak of plagiarism in the fanfic community. Every now and then someone will pop up who thinks they can grab a popular story from someone's LiveJournal, or from a fanfic archive, put their own name on it and post it to some other archive and no one will notice. Many people read on multiple sites, though, and someone usually does notice.

Sometimes they do a search/replace to change the names to some other characters, to convert the story to some other fandom, in hopes that they're even less likely to be caught at it in the second fandom. Unfortunately for them, many fanfic readers are multi-fandom and do read a wide variety of stories, and someone will often recognize a story they read before in a different fandom under a different writer's name.

I don't find it at all unbelievable that, with the trend for people to file the serial numbers off their better fanfic and publish it as original fiction (which I have no problem with, obviously), one of the plagiarists I mentioned above might have moved away from stealing just for praise and applause and toward stealing for money, by grabbing someone else's fanfic, converting it into original fiction, and submitting it to a publisher. That is absolutely a believable possibility.

The viagra thing is clearly just comment spam -- I get that crap fairly regularly on my main LJ, and deleting it is all the attention it deserves. The plagiarism comments, though, might well be legitimate.

It sounds like the first comment is by a reader who read the original version of the story, and recognized the published, commercial version as a rip-off of that original version. The third and fourth comments claim to be by the author of the original version which was stolen. If that person is the true author of a book you reviewed, it's understandable that she/he is very angry at the plagiarist-thief getting attention for the story, including positive reviews. (To say nothing of whatever money they've gotten from the publication.) About the fourth comment, my guess is that, because you deleted the earlier comments, they're assuming you're in some sort of collusion with the thieving writer. If they found the review via a Google search and aren't familiar with your journal, they probably don't know you're using English as a foreign language and might not pick up on subtleties, so they're making false assumptions about your response (the deletions).

As the reviewer, you don't really deserve to be the target of her/his anger, since you obviously didn't know the story was stolen. But as a writer I can understand the anger, and the desire to get the word out that "Hey, this is my story!"

If this is a true accusation, though (and I don't see any reason within the comments to assume it's not), then this is an important issue. If the fanfic plagiarists are taking their theft up to the next level, and actually selling what they steal rather than just displaying it as their own, then that's something that needs attention. (And whether it's true or false, those three comments were definitely not spam.)

Angie

Yes, the viagra was fun. The others... Well I'd like to reply, this journal is mine and I can write of what I want. Even if she/he is right, it's not my journal the place to argue. And the last where she/he accuse me... Unbelievable.

Elisa

I delete the comment for the nastiness. The first comment I left but when the author (assume she/he is right) has written the second, sincerely I don't like the tone she/he has used. It's not my journal the place to argue. And how she/he has reacted to my deleting comment has confirmed my idea: I don't like people who are violent, even if only in words...

I absolutely agree that the author crossed the line with their threat of lawsuit. :/ That was uncalled for, as well as (so far as I know) completely bogus. I understand their anger, but I wish they'd have posted with more thought, explaining the situation calmly rather than splashing their anger and accusations around at random.

Angie

In this moment she/he continues to comment on the other post. I ask to her/him politely to comment here, if she has right to do so. What I don't like is that she/he comment as anonymous.

Elisa

It's possible she/he just doesn't have a LiveJournal. They should at least be signing their name to their posts, though, if they want to carry on a conversation. [nod]

Angie

Let me begin this with a sincere apology for what I have to admit was my earlier bitchiness. I should never have assumed you were party to this deception I have been subject to, but your deletion of my post made me jump to a conclusion that was clearly erroneous. My only excuse is that I am in an absolute state of shock and am blindly striking out in horror over the situation. It isn't enough of an excuse for being rude, so again I am sincerely sorry.

In case you are interested, I discovered today that not only had someone stolen a story I wrote and published for free on the internet, but that they have commercially published the work. Heck, it's available on Amazon! When challenged by someone (not me) the publisher said that *I* was the person who had stolen the story off JJ Massa.

Obviously, I have informed the publisher of my intention to sue. I have all necessary evidence that this story was my creation.

I am so upset that I am, hopefully understandably, trying to track down all sellers and promoters of this stolen work to stop it in its tracks.

I have, however, been totally unfair in my posts to yourself and again apologise for my hasty and ill judged posts. I'm not usually so rude.

Oh, and my name's Amanda. I wasn't deliberately being anonymous, I just don't have a LJ and wasn't really sure how they worked. Another case of me being too wound up to think clearly.

I'm sorry.

Apologies accept Amanda. What can I do is to "momentarily" hidden the review. I will take it in local and when/if you will arrive to a conclusion of all this, please let me know.

Elisa

Thank you so much, both for your understanding and your hiding of the review.

The publisher has responded already by pulling the ebook off their website, so clearly they are worried. Presumably they can see that I would hardly be reacting like this if I wasn't telling the truth about the origin of the story.

Still, I was unforgivably rude to you and I appreciate your grace in accepting my apology.

I will advise you of the outcome of my lawsuit.

Amanda

For what I can remember that book was a re-released by the publisher. I have an high opinion of that publisher, she has some very talented author with her (Lee Rowan and G.A. Hauser, for example). And I know she choice with a lot of attention what publish and what not. I can only hope that this is all a huge misunderstanding and that all of you will arrive to a good conclusion. Elisa

What a horrible thing to happen. So sorry to hear this. Sending hugs

A
xxx

It's seems that the author of the comment maybe could be right. We are clear ourself. I have hidden the review waiting to see how all will go. Elisa

Just hugs for you.

i've been blogging the alleged plagiarism situation... wwww.myspace.com/asharceneaux in the blog section.

Thanks hon. It seems that everything is all right now. Elisa

I've been following this, and I'm sincerely sorry this happened to you. Additionally to the proof your documents and correspondence give you, you might want to check into the Wayback Machine, because it archived your site:
http://web.archive.org/web/*sa_/http://www.morts-lair.com.

http://web.archive.org/web/20041204215924/morts-lair.com/updates/updates.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20041218025536/morts-lair.com/CPfanfiction/atap/AnotherTimeAnotherPlace.htm

Your story, and the listing of it in your updates section, was archived by the Wayback Machine in the above (last two) links - and they were date stamped. The first eight numbers in the last two links refer to the date archiving happened (yyyymmdd). Though not necessarily done on the date the files appeared on your website, the archiving of the story happened well before Massa's novel was first published, namely 12/18/2004. That's pretty damning.

Good luck with your suit. I hope all will be resolved and the emotional distress for you will be kept to a minimum.

~O.

Thank you for that, I hadn't thought of the wayback machine and every additional piece of evidence will help. Though, to tell the truth, the story considerably pre-dated even its introduction onto my website. It has been archived at www.tomparisdorm.com since 29th August 2003. According to the wayback machine (see how quickly I learn? LOL) Venus press launched 'The Edge' as a brand new novel in May of 2005.
I feel sorry for all the people who have been paying good money for 2 1/2 years for a story that has been available on-line for free since 2003.

sorry, I forgot to sign again.

Amanda (who will get the hang of this LJ thing eventually)

I'm just a bystander from metafandom... I hope everything is resolved quickly for this author!

BTW, Amanda, if you want a silver lining and you yourself have ambitions to be published... if you want, once this is over, you can approach the publisher about writing something for them! After all, they've already published your stuff. :0)

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