As a writer and concept creator, I have had my fair share of fear of being copied, of being inspired, of accidentally copying other people's work. It happens to everyone, in every field, intentionally and unintentionally, but sometimes especially online, it can get hectic.
As a creator, when should you worry about copycats?
Like I said, I'm a writer and concept creator. As a writer, the setting, precise, and characters of your novel are your intellectual property, and here in America, it is protected under copyright laws. As an artist, your designs and drawings are also protected. Likewise for musicians, journalists, etc, anything you create with your own hands is, in a sense, yours.
But sometimes, accidents happen. People happen. So when should you be worried?
Sadly, all the time. If I had a dime for every story I heard about an artist having their art stolen, I would be Bill Gates. Artists have tried many methods to prevent their art from at least going uncredited, but sadly, if someone is bent on stealing, there is little that can be done to stop them. The Internet is a free space for people to do just about anything, and I personally can't get behind the idea, being as I fully support a free Internet. The Internet also doesn't help matters as it makes it not only easier for content to be spread, but easier for it to be stolen.
The most we can do as content creators is catch the act and stop the individual before things get out of hand, but even then things can get out-of-hand. So things can escalate from a thief stealing to a full on riot on the streets, as a metaphor for how the internet can get wildly out of control.
As a content creator, I can report that I have been accused of stealing and unintentionally stole this year. In one case, I overstepped the boundaries of being inspired, however, I did go to the original creator and apologized after realizing my error, and they graciously forgave me. In regards to the other case, I was accused yet have not committed it, even though the other individual insisted on it.
I will not go into details in either case, as they're bygones now, but I wished to use them as examples to show anyone can be on either side. I thankfully haven't had anything stolen from me yet, so I cannot speak from that stance as of now. But I can speak of the otherside, one that rarely gets talked about in terms of these types of discussions.
Sometimes, we can become inspired by the little of things. Sometimes, something sticks, and we wish to take that item and use it for our own devices. Sometimes, something is mentioned, it fades for awhile, only to reappear as if a new idea. And lastly, sometimes, great minds think alike.
None of these are intentionally malicious, nor are these people acting with the intention of stealing. Even the example of something sticking and being carried over isn't out-right copying, although it can easily pass the line if not careful.
So when is it stealing? That's hard to say, honestly, as the action has to be connected to the intentions of the individual, and people can lie. And I'm not talking about blatantly copying, where all that is changed is the hair color or the signature. I'm talking sharing maybe too many characteristics that might feel comfortable, or maybe sharing a similar design/feel. It's not blatant, but something internal is abuzz and you're becoming worried.
I will not say that the content creator is wrong in feeling this way. They have every right to feel wary in a world where everything can be stolen with the simple click and drag of a mouse. What I am saying is do not overreact.
When it came to speaking with the content creator I accidentally stole from, she was very considerate and kind, did not call me names but asked that I never do something like that again. Mistakes happen, they are forgiven, but they are not forgotten. This is how content creators should behave. If they feel something of theirs is being stolen, they should speak with the individual in question politely, in case it was an earnest mistake. Drama is avoided and things that could have resolved easily are resolved with no one's feelings hurt.
To close this article, I would just like to say that I am not speaking of blatant theft cases. I am not speaking of characters who look 100% alike and share similar stories, etc. I am speaking of cases where a character shares the same name, where a world has a similar structure, superficial cases where it lies in the details, like having the word "Muggle" in the title.
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