SOPA support garnered with plagiarized documents
Well, there you go. One of the most odious pieces of legislation seen in years, and it’s being propped up on documents using plagiarized materials. That makes their case believable (and by believable, I mean complete BS)
Washington • Internet giants are clashing with Hollywood celebrities and major retailers over legislation that would make it easier to shut down sites for online piracy. And Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has picked sides.
He argued in a Salt Lake Tribune opinion piece last weekend that a tough enforcement bill is needed to protect consumers, entertainers and businesses.
“It will take a strong, sustained effort to stop Internet thieves and profiteers,” Shurtleff wrote.
Actually, Shurtleff didn’t write that. And other lines in his op-ed didn’t come from him either. They were plagiarized from a news release and columns written by supporters of the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA.
Opponents of the legislation first identified the lifted passages and noted the irony of a law enforcement officer fighting the misappropriation of others’ work by misappropriating others’ words.
But Shurtleff denies he plagiarized anyone, arguing it is common practice for public officials to get help writing speeches and opinion pieces, though he doesn’t deny that some sentences were lifted word for word from other sources.
“Could some quotes be put around those certain issues? Yeah. Is it plagiarism? No,” Shurtleff said. “People are reciting words all the time.”
And he said the accusations of plagiarism are a “disingenuous” attempt to undercut his political point by “people interested in piracy.”
See the opinion piece here. It was linked in the article at a short link, and I didn’t want to alter the quoted text by putting it in properly. As to their argument, yeah, ok. We believe you now. Piracy bad, and the fate of the free world rests on stopping it.
(thumb via the linked article on top)
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