Copying on fanfiction.net

[MadBlossom Torsorosy]

Okay, so I will get this out. I'm not mad that someone is using an idea for a story I haven't updated in FOREVER. After all, I haven't updated in a very, very long time. Plus, I was surprised when I started writing it that the idea hadn't been used before. It seemed like a popular sounding idea, and I got plenty of positive reviews on how the story line seemed interesting and fun.

What bothers me is that when I decided, "Hey, let's go look at the archives because I haven't read a fanfiction from this area in months", I come across it, and the first chapter is just a re-written mash-up of the two chapters I had written for my story. Then, because I was curious, I read the rest of the story.

I'm going to continue writing my story again. Not because I hated what this person did, but because she gave me inspiration to do so. I loved my idea. I still do. So now that someone has come along and just... well, everything was completely different from what I'd imagined, I feel I should continue. Especially since I loved this idea and was trying to figure out how I could possibly make it work with my own original characters.

Has that happened to anyone else?

[Renkon Root]

An "idea" is an idea. It can't be copywriten, so it can't be stolen. Now, if they have copied your fic word-for-word, then that is PLAGIARISM and is against the ff.n ToS. You can report the story in question.

[ArrowOfZen]

Well- Someone claims mine. Specifically, my characters. It was from an OC special fan fiction story that I created. My case still is ongoing and I thought of just quitting my story and make a new one. The guy blackmailed me for some illogical and irrational reason.

Anyway, back to your case. I guess stealing ideas in fanfiction.net is a common case. It is so common that its not considered as plagiarism anymore. To their defense, "People sometimes have the same ideas. It's just the way on how you deliver that idea that makes your story unique."

Just continue your story and keep it interesting.
And I'm curious so I want to ask the link of it. 4laugh

[MadBlossom Torsorosy]

ArrowOfZen

Well- Someone claims mine. Specifically, my characters. It was from an OC special fan fiction story that I created. My case still is ongoing and I thought of just quitting my story and make a new one. The guy blackmailed me for some illogical and irrational reason.

Anyway, back to your case. I guess stealing ideas in fanfiction.net is a common case. It is so common that its not considered as plagiarism anymore. To their defense, "People sometimes have the same ideas. It's just the way on how you deliver that idea that makes your story unique."

Just continue your story and keep it interesting.
And I'm curious so I want to ask the link of it. 4laugh

Haha, actually, I was surprised I hadn't seen more of this idea; I had figured it would be pretty common. That's why I hadn't really thought anything of it until I read it and recognized a bit too much that was just rewritten.

Anyways, here's the link to my story: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6468665/1/Wounded-Love

[ArrowOfZen]

MadBlossom Torsorosy

ArrowOfZen

Well- Someone claims mine. Specifically, my characters. It was from an OC special fan fiction story that I created. My case still is ongoing and I thought of just quitting my story and make a new one. The guy blackmailed me for some illogical and irrational reason.

Anyway, back to your case. I guess stealing ideas in fanfiction.net is a common case. It is so common that its not considered as plagiarism anymore. To their defense, "People sometimes have the same ideas. It's just the way on how you deliver that idea that makes your story unique."

Just continue your story and keep it interesting.
And I'm curious so I want to ask the link of it. 4laugh

Haha, actually, I was surprised I hadn't seen more of this idea; I had figured it would be pretty common. That's why I hadn't really thought anything of it until I read it and recognized a bit too much that was just rewritten.

Anyways, here's the link to my story: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6468665/1/Wounded-Love

Yeah. You know what? I just came across that situation when I had the same idea with another author. The author was nice and said "Look, I'm not the only one who can come up with an idea like this. It's cool." Actually, I was the one who noticed that our idea was similar- and we ended up having the same conclusion as well.

Anyway, I'm reading your fic. I would like to compare it to what you claimed was a copy of your work. 4laugh Wanna give me the link of the other story?

[MadBlossom Torsorosy]

ArrowOfZen

Yeah. You know what? I just came across that situation when I had the same idea with another author. The author was nice and said "Look, I'm not the only one who can come up with an idea like this. It's cool." Actually, I was the one who noticed that our idea was similar- and we ended up having the same conclusion as well.

Anyway, I'm reading your fic. I would like to compare it to what you claimed was a copy of your work. 4laugh Wanna give me the link of the other story?

Yeah, here it is. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8487535/1/SA-The-Afterstory-of-Yahiro-and-Megumi

[Airship Canon]

Free Birds in the Sky...!
Please Give us the Truth..!
Is there Humanity on Mother Earth?!

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
There is nothing new under the sun.

Those two phrases go perfectly with this scenario.

If you keep on holding,
Holding dying flowers..!
A soft answer turns away the Wrath!!

RAIN IN VAIN!!

[Aha]

If there really is large chunks of your story(specifically whole sentences/paragraphs) used in the other one, then you do have a case for plagiarism. Send the admins a violation report, then be prepared to wait six months for someone to look into it. Or you try confronting the author yourself, but that can lead to messy problems for you.

But if it was just the basic idea and the follow through then it happens all the time and is nothing to really think twice about.

In my own experience, I've had an idea of mine turn up in someone else's fanfic twice now. But seeing as the first one went in a completely different direction and was posted before I finished and posted mine, it was just a coincidence.

The second one was just a matter of someone else knowing that you can make tea out of catnip(it's good for upset stomachs/colic) and when you are using in a Fruits Basket fic there really is only one way that could go. stare And again, it was a simple matter of her story, a one shot, being published to the site before mine, a novel length story, was.

I was actually just kind of excited to see someone else had thought to do it, and reviewed telling her such, because you don't see it used a lot despite the obvious hilarity that could come from it.

But in both instances the stories and characters involved were massively different from what I was writing. So it's never bothered me. Though I could certainly understand it being upsetting if they had lifted whole parts of a story.

[YennonCrow]

I've had my ideas stolen before, yes. And it was by a 'friend' stare thing is, just like others have said, an idea is an idea. If someones idea inspires you, I personally think it's best to let the other writer know they inspired you. Not just take it ^^; especially when it's within the same fandom and pairing, lol.

But to each his own. I just think it's best to be polite and respectful heart

[YennonCrow]

Aha

The second one was just a matter of someone else knowing that you can make tea out of catnip(it's good for upset stomachs/colic) and when you are using in a Fruits Basket fic there really is only one way that could go. stare And again, it was a simple matter of her story, a one shot, being published to the site before mine, a novel length story, was.

I was actually just kind of excited to see someone else had thought to do it, and reviewed telling her such, because you don't see it used a lot despite the obvious hilarity that could come from it.

heart That IS a great idea! I did already know about the catnip thing (I'm an herb/vitamin nut), but never thought to use it in a FB fic. Well done!!

[Aha]

MissYennon

Aha

The second one was just a matter of someone else knowing that you can make tea out of catnip(it's good for upset stomachs/colic) and when you are using in a Fruits Basket fic there really is only one way that could go. stare And again, it was a simple matter of her story, a one shot, being published to the site before mine, a novel length story, was.

I was actually just kind of excited to see someone else had thought to do it, and reviewed telling her such, because you don't see it used a lot despite the obvious hilarity that could come from it.

heart That IS a great idea! I did already know about the catnip thing (I'm an herb/vitamin nut), but never thought to use it in a FB fic. Well done!!

Why thank you. I found out about it and instantly thought of Kyou. I had a lot fun with it too.

[Clare_N]

Aha

But if it was just the basic idea and the follow through then it happens all the time and is nothing to really think twice about.

In my own experience, I've had an idea of mine turn up in someone else's fanfic twice now. But seeing as the first one went in a completely different direction and was posted before I finished and posted mine, it was just a coincidence.
.

Something like that happened with one of my "Doctor Who" fanfics. The fic in question involved Adric (a companion from the early Eighties) falling ill after inhaling toxic spores from an alien plant. It was only after I'd started posting it online that I found out something similar had happened to Luke in "The Sarah Jane Adventures". But I didn't freak out about it because I knew it was just a coincidence, besides which the only thing the two stories had in common was the toxic spores element.

[Epiphany of Nothingness]

Some people do it unintentionally or so moved and inspired by a story, they want create something just like it. I have that problem whenever I start trying to make up a plot.

[homo ch r o m a t i c - -]

I did have this issue once. I never pursued it.

The author copied an idea from one of my more popular stories soon after I published it. But she executed it poorly and, while she had a very large archive, was a very poor writer. (Sounds bitchy of me but.) So, really, she wasn't about to go getting many kudos for my idea, so I decided to throw her a bone.

On a similar note, someone on Tumblr stole some headcanons for a canon character I worked very hard on and she did it very blatantly, so I dragged her over the rocks.

[The Bayou Queen]

I've certainly had ideas that I thought were really unique only to realize that another very very popular author had a similar story on her account that was published after mine. They're similar stories but my writing was so poor at the time that I can't image the author actually managed to read my story long enough to steal my idea. Sometimes your idea just isn't as unique as you thought it was. Really what it boils down to is writing a story well.