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ARTICLE · 20 NOVEMBER 2013

Copyright's Blurred Lines

As far as I know, publishing someone’s content as your own is plagiarism.

South AfricaIntellectual Property

'As far as I know, publishing someone's content as your own is plagiarism. Or does the Twittersphere have a different set of rules?' So asked a frustrated Business Day executive.  This was, of course, in the context of the 'stolen Tweets' story, one of several copyright stories to make the news recently.

The stolen Tweets story related to the fact that CNBC Africa had copied a number of the Tweets that Business Day had posted in respect of on the mid-term policy speech (the mini-Budget)*. Here's one of them:  'Largest wasteful expenditure is consultant services. Better contract management needed. Proposes stricter control of consultancy fees.'  CNBC Africa admitted that it had done wrong and it apologised. It put the blame on a junior intern and it promised that there would be strict disciplinary action.

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