intellectual property and plagiarism in academics
TRANSCRIPT
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND
PLAGIARISM IN ACADEMICS
2
• It is human need to yearn to acquire property,
whether of a tangible, intangible or invisible
nature.
• Everyone would want to be identified with his
/her own property which he guides jealously to
the exclusion of all others.
• It means that it will be wrongful for one person
to deal/interfer with another persons property
in such a manner that will be inconsistent with
the ownership rights of that other person.
• Such an interference is usually frowned against
leading to unsavoury consequences not desired
by anybody. We may pause to find out the real
meaning of intellectual property.
A. THE HUMAN FACTOR
WHAT IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
3
• Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such
as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and
symbols, formulations, names and images used in commerce.
• Ultimately, these creations and innovations are pushed into the
public domain for use by all. At this point, it becomes
imperative that an IP policy be put in place to regulate the
relationship between the creator and users.
• The policy will enable its holder to fully enjoy the benefit of
owning it and also balance the usual fragile relationship
between innovators and the wider public.
• A good IP system aims to foster an environment in which
creativity and innovation can flourish. A successful inventor
will not only earn recognition and financial benefits from what
he has created, the general public will be availed of his findings
.a win win situation for all.
TYPES OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
4
There are four popular types namely Patents,
Trademarks, Trade Secrets and Copyrights.
1. Patents
• A patent grants property rights on an invention,
allowing the patent holder to exclude others from
making, selling, or using the invention.
• Inventions allow many businesses to be successful
because they develop new or better processes or
products that offer competitive advantage on the
marketplace.. A patent gives an inventor the right to
stop other people making or using their invention. If
someone makes or uses that invention without being
allowed to, the inventor can sue that person in court to
make them stop.
TYPES OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
5
2. Trademarks
• A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or design that
distinguishes the source of products (trademarks) or
services (service marks) of one business from its
competitors.
• It usually protects brand names and logos. In order to
qualify for patent protection, the mark must be
distinctive and clear.
• Nigeria operates a "first to file" system and our Trade
Marks Act grants the owner of a registered trademark
exclusive rights to use the trademark and protect it
from any form of infringement.
• This means that the first to register a trademark has
the right to prevent others from using an identical or
confusingly similar trademark for the same goods or
services or description of goods or services in respect
of which the first trademark was registered.
TYPES OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
6
3. Trade Secrets
•A trade secret is a formula, process, device, or
other business information that companies keep
private to give them a business advantage over
their competitors. Most common examples of trade
secrets are food/drink formulae and customer lists.
•Unlike the other types of intellectual property, you
can't obtain protection by registering your trade
secret. Instead, protection lasts only as long as you
take the necessary steps to control disclosure and
use of the information.
•Businesses use nondisclosure agreements,
restricted access to confidential information, post-
employment restrictive covenants, and other
security practices to maintain trade
TYPES OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
7
4. Copyrights
• Copyrights protect original works of authorship such as literary
works, music, dramatic works, pantomimes and choreographic
works, sculptural, pictorial, and graphic works, sound
recordings, artistic works, architectural works, and computer
software. With copyright protection, the holder has the
exclusive rights to modify, distribute, perform, create, display,
and copy the work.
• In order to qualify under copyright laws, the work must be
fixed in a tangible medium of expression, such as words on a
piece of paper or music notes written on a sheet. A copyright
exists from the moment the work gets created, so registration
is voluntary.
• In Nigeria, Copyright provides the assurance that authors,
artists, songwriters, music publishers, photographers and
other creators can share their work with the public without
the fear of unauthorized use. It covers book publishing,
photography, sound recording, broadcasting, film production
etc. and gives the creators the right to control the ways their
materials are used by others.
WHAT IS PLAGIARISM
8
• An intellectual property in any form such as a patent, trademark,
trade secret or copyright which has been properly defined and
seised in one creator cannot be used by another in any manner
not desired by that owner. If this happens, then we enter the
realm of plagiarism.
• In simple terms, PLAGIARISM is the “stealing” of somebody else’s intellectual property or work as though it is your own without crediting the source. Though, it is quite possible to
plagiarize oneself; one thing that is undoubtedly clear is that
plagiarism is unethical especially in the academic world.
EXAMPLES OF PLAGIARISM
9
The following are some examples of plagiarism
turning in someone else's work as your own
copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source
without giving credit
copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the
majority of your work, whether you give credit or not .
As a matter of fact, plagiarism can take different forms as above
shown and many more ways. The trend has continued to be a
threat to academic research all over the world even with the
invention of anti-plagiarism tools, and it is more prevalent among
emerging scholars especially students.
TYPES OF PLAGIARISM
10
1. Verbatim plagiarism (copy & paste)
• You commit verbatim plagiarism when you directly copy text from a
source and paste it into your own document without attribution. If the
structure and the majority of the words are the same as in the
original, then it is verbatim plagiarism, even if you delete or change a
couple of words here and there.
2. Mosaic plagiarism (patchwork plagiarism)
• Mosaic plagiarism (also known as patchwork plagiarism or
incremental plagiarism) means copying phrases, passages and ideas
from different sources and putting them together to create a new text.
This includes slightly rephrasing passages while keeping many of the
same words and structure as the original. This type of plagiarism
requires a little more effort and is more insidious than just copying
and pasting from a source.
1. Citing incorrectly
This is simply citing incorrect sources.
TYPES OF PLAGIARISM
11
3. Citing incorrectly
This is simply citing incorrect sources.
4. Self-Plagiarism
This is plagiarizing your own work. That is reusing work that you’vepreviously submitted. Even though it’s your own work, it’s considered
dishonest to present a paper or a piece of data as brand new when you’vealready gotten credit for the work.
WHY DO PEOPLE PLAGIARISE
12
• There are several reasons for this. In the academic
world, that is our own world, there exists the cliché:
• PUBLISH OR PERISH which has induced many
researchers to engage in the cankerworm called
plagiarism
• They plagiarize sometimes while reacting to severe
pressure to publish, desire for recognition, anxiety to
write in English, increased access to the internet and of
course, the ease of copy and paste.
• The instinct to plagiarise has also been linked to
laziness and dishonesty among scolars.
CONSCEQUENCES OF PLAGIARISM
13
• The danger posed by plagiarism has made
it a global concern. It can ruin the life of
the perpetrator and even innocent lives
involved in the act such as a supervisor.
• It can also destroy the reputation of a
university or a research institution where
the act was perpetrated.
CONSCEQUENCES OF PLAGIARISM
14
• Generally, some of its negative consequences have been
identified as follows:
1. Destroyed Student Reputation
2. Destroyed Professional Reputation
3. Destroyed Academic Reputation
4. Legal Repercussions
5. Monetary Repercussions
6. Extreme Consequences of Plagiarized
Research
1. Destroyed Student Reputation
Plagiarism allegations can cause a student to be
suspended or expelled. Their academic record can
reflect the ethics offense, possibly causing the
student to be barred from entering college from high
school or another college. Schools, colleges, and
universities take plagiarism very seriously. Most
educational institutions have academic integrity
committees who police students. Many schools
suspend students for their first violation. Students are
usually expelled for further offences.
2. Destroyed Professional Reputation
A professional business person, politician, or public figure may find that
the damage from plagiarism follows them for their entire career. Not
only will they likely be fired or asked to step down from their present
position, but they will surely find it difficult to obtain another
respectable job. Depending on the offense and the plagiarist’s public
stature, his or her name may become ruined, making any kind of
meaningful career impossible.
3. Destroyed Academic Reputation
The consequences of plagiarism have been widely reported in the world
of academia. Once scarred with plagiarism allegations, an academic’scareer can be ruined. Publishing is an integral part of a prestigious
academic career. To lose the ability to publish most likely means the end
of an academic position and a destroyed reputation.
4. Legal Repercussions
The legal repercussions of plagiarism can be quite serious. Copyright laws are
absolute. One cannot use another person’s material without citation and
reference. An author has the right to sue a plagiarist. Some plagiarism may also
be deemed a criminal offense, possibly leading to a prison sentence. Those who
write for a living, such as journalists or authors, are particularly susceptible to
plagiarism issues. Those who write frequently must be ever-vigilant not to err.
Writers are well-aware of copyright laws and ways to avoid plagiarism. As a
professional writer, to plagiarize is a serious ethical and perhaps legal issue.
5. Monetary Repercussions
Many recent news reports and articles have exposed plagiarism by journalists,
authors, public figures, and researchers. In the case where an author sues a
plagiarist, the author may be granted monetary restitution. In the case where a
journalist works for a magazine, newspaper or other publisher, or even if a
student is found plagiarizing in school, the offending plagiarist could have to pay
monetary penalties.
6. Extreme Consequences of Plagiarized Research
Plagiarized research is an especially egregious form of plagiarism. If the
research is medical in nature, the consequences of plagiarism could mean the
loss of peoples’ lives. This kind of plagiarism is particularly heinous.
The consequences of plagiarism are far-reaching and no one is immune.
Neither ignorance nor stature excuses a person from the ethical and legal
ramifications of committing plagiarism. Before attempting any writing
project, learn about plagiarism. Find out what constitutes plagiarism and how
to avoid it. The rules are easy to understand and follow. If there is any
question about missing attribution, try using an online plagiarism checker or
plagiarism detection software to check your writing for plagiarism before
turning it in.
With this in mind, it is very critical for developing nations like Nigeria to take
the bull by the horn in addressing this menace because where plagiarism
thrives, innovation takes the back seat.
ANTI PLAGIARISM
19
Having noted some of the harmful effects of plagiarism, it is now
trite to advocate the culture of anti-plagiarism which must be
imbibed by all writers, creators and/or researchers.
1. Several schemes, plagiarism detection softwares and/or
online checkers are being used by different institutions to fight
the menace of plagiarism. In most institutions, global best
practices are employed to peg the percentage of allowable
plagiarism at 10%. Some other institutions have adopted such
scales as 20%-80%, 30%-70% and 40%-60% respectively.
Whichever percentage is favoured by any institution, it is
important to note that the lower the percentage of allowable
plagiarism, the higher the quality of the research which in the
long term will improve the standing of the researcher and his
institution globally.
ANTI PLAGIARISM
20
2. Institutions are enjoined to adopt the practice of inculcating the
fear of plagiarism in the minds of students. At an early stage,
lecturers should endeavour to reject or score low any material
with the slightest touch of plagiarism. So, by dealing with this
early, students would have been well prepared for the nitty-gritty
of research.
3. Furthermore, postgraduate schools in Nigerian universities
must include in their curriculum a mandatory course on research
publication which will be taught by erudite scholars and would
have modules such as referencing and citation, manuscript
drafting etc. This would improve the standard of works and
productivity by postgraduate students who are young
researchers.
ANTI PLAGIARISM
21
4. Lastly, to win this fight, the syndrome of publishing or perish
must be matched with quality and not quantity. As we have
stated earlier, one of the pull factors for plagiarism is the need
to publish a certain amount of journal articles for promotion in
Nigeria which has made desperate academicians engage in
things like ghost publication, guest authors, and to the extent of
cloning! However, if much emphasis is placed on quality
publication i.e impact of the scholarly work on the society and
also, on the success rate of students taught by an academic,
there would be a reduction in the desperation of academic to
publish by all means.
CONCLUSION
22
Intellectual property is the original idea of its
creator and stringent rules and procedures
ought to be put in place for its protection.
Plagiarism in any form is bad and can be
likened to cancer. The earlier it is dealt with,
the better for Nigeria to transform research
works into societal benefits
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
23