Forum Moderators: not2easy
If someone copies a programming article I wrote, but technically they didn't copy any of my *ideas* since technical writing is mostly writing 'facts' about programming.
If someone copies my exact outline of my writings, but uses their own words how can I possible say they copyrighted my work?
Say I wrote about the HTML tag, explained all the various tags, etc. I'm really just stating what is a fact about each html tag. Now someone copies my article layout (headings, order of subheadings), but wrote it in their own words, can I challege them still?
How do you even know for sure that the "copy" wasn't based on some other article by someone else that happened to have the same structure?
If there is $$ involved, show it to a lawyer. If there isn't, in the future you might do this--include commentary, opinions, and other unique material in your technical articles, if you can.
Example:
"Brett Ekbat is a single man in his 40s. When he realizes that he can not afford to use his car any longer to get to work, he switches to public transport, and meets new people, and his big love."
This abstract of a screenplay is an idea. If you now decide to create a screenplay based on this idea, using a different name for the main character, then I can not sue you for using my outline. (And yes, your screenplay is your expressed idea and thus protected by copyright laws.)
If, on the other hand, you just copy my screenplay (i.e. my exact expression of the idea), put a different title to it, and maybe replace the names of the main characters, but leave all the dialogues intact, THEN you are violating copyright law. You take someone else's expressed idea and re-publish it. This is not allowed.
Hope this helps.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. Seeing an IP lawyer is always a good idea.
