An Author's Responsibilities to Other Authors

Much has been written about the responsibility of journalists toward their readers, of children’s authors to write to the age group, etc. But unless I have been using totally incorrect search terms, little has been written about what responsibilities an author has to other authors.

Not to Plagiarize 

I believe that authors have responsibilities to other authors in at least two circumstances. First, authors have the responsibility not to steal another author’s work. We have a name for this theft: plagiarism. Whether material is fresh or very old, an author has a moral obligation not to copy it without permission or attribution. In Judaism, this is clearly articulated in Pirke Avot, the Sayings of the Fathers: 

    

     …Go forth and see which is the evil way that a man should shun. … Simeon said, One who borrows and does not repay. Pirke Avot 2:14. 

    R. Jose said, Let the property of thy fellow-man be as dear to thee as thine own… PA 2:17. 

    He who learns from his fellow a single chapter, a single rule, a single verse, a single expression, or even a single letter, ought to pay him honor. PA 6:3 

    …Whosoever reports a thing in the name of him that said it brings deliverance into the world; as it is said, ‘And Esther told the king in the name of Mordechai.’ PA 6:6 

Readers and writers alike understand cheating, so we cheer when an author whose work was stolen sues and wins, or when a prize is withdrawn when the winning article turns out to have been written by someone else. 

Reporting Plagiarism 

But what of the cases of plagiarism that are not reported, and whose resolution results simply in a monetary settlement and perhaps the quiet withdrawal of the offending work? Is this moral? This is the second situation where I believe authors have a moral responsibility to other writers. 

New voices have a limited chance of success when one author dominates, particularly in a small niche market. If the author is honest and is the better writer, then the free market is doing its job, weeding out the second-string so that the best can flourish. (Whether reviewers have a responsibility to promote excellent new writers is a question for another day.)

Consider a dishonest accountant who is fired from a job for embezzlement and never prosecuted. He will be hired by another company, and will likely embezzle again. By choosing not to prosecute, the first employer is setting the stage for other companies to be robbed. 

This is exactly what happens when an author settles quietly with a plagiarist. The plagiarist’s reputation continues unimpeded. Publishers, librarians and parents with limited budgets buy familiar names, names that they trust. Not knowing their trust in this case is misplaced, they continue to publish, buy, and give awards to the plagiarist.

Accessory to Theft? 

By agreeing to a secret settlement, the original author denies a generation of potential authors the opportunity for success. An out-of-court settlement with a gag order guarantees that the plagiarist will able to continue to increase both his reputation and bank account. And the careers of other writers of similar talent are stunted. 

Two wrongs do not make a right. Authors need to remember that they have a responsibility to others, not just to themselves. Receiving financial compensation for the misuse of one’s work is nice, but if a whole market is damaged because the thief’s reputation continues unharmed, then the author whose work was stolen is an accessory to the theft of sales, prizes, and reputation from a generation of writers.