Protesting Plagiarism by MSM
Recently, newly launched Yahoo-Malayalam portal published recipes from a blog by Surya Gayathri, a fellow food blogger from India, without permission or giving credit to her work. Total 6 recipes, word by word are lifted and republished. When protested about it, Yahoo silently removed the content without an apology or compensation to the blogger. Not only Surya Gayathri, we the food bloggers community do not think she has been treated fairly by Yahoo. So today is protest day against Yahoo and other stealers.
It started small. Few online editions of news magazines started lifting content and images from food blogs. Now it looks like almost everybody in Indian publishing industry seems to be doing it. From big names like India Times to famous online publications such as Sify, Bawarchi and Rediff are publishing content, mainly images from food blogs without permission or compensating the food blogger. This is not fair, this is copyrights violation and it must stop.
We know that there are not that many images of Indian food on the web. We understand the temptation to steal. But really, you don’t need to get that desperate. Just ask. We will be more than happy to lend the content. Request permission first. Compensate us like you do your photographers or at least provide a link to our blogs. We, the food bloggers are a happy, genial bunch most of the times. Acknowledge us and respect our work. This is my sincere request to the editors of the Indian news papers. Please put a stop to this frequent shameful and painful content theft.
If any of you readers are lawyers, who specialize in copyrights, we please need your assistance. Would you like to help and do some pro bono work on behalf of us food bloggers? Not only Yahoo, we have several big names in Indian publishing industry who are regular content stealers. Many Indian bloggers are victims and attempts by us to contact the editors were failed to generate a response. I would like to see something positive come out of this protest and we need your help very much.
My salute to Surya Gayathri for standing up to Yahoo and to Inji Pennu for organizing the today’s event. I ask you all to participate in the protest. Show your support to the food blogging community. Contact Yahoo and let them know about what you think of this matter.
Logo credit:
Sandeepa of Bong Mom’s CookBook. Thanks Sandeepa!
Indira,
My salute to you!! I Strongly agree with you. You are such a wonderful women in each and every aspect.
Thanks,
Padma
Comment by Padma — March 5, 2007 @ 11:16 am
To paraphrase one of my favorite lines from the movie Office Space – looks like these big names are filled with “no talent a$$ clowns”.
gg
Comment by GG — March 5, 2007 @ 11:21 am
Dear Indira, Inji and other bloggers:
Kudos for standing up for what is right.
Message to Lazy Yahoo: Use your own brains and time. Do NOT steal. It is shameful. If you do decide to use someone’s creativity – give them due credit or atleast learn to ask.
Comment by Savi — March 5, 2007 @ 11:39 am
Hi Indira, Surya and Inji Pennu,
You have our full support! Stand up and claim what is fair and due to you.
– Anu
Comment by Anupama — March 5, 2007 @ 4:05 pm
Hey, I got an idea – why not contact some media organization and pit media against media in your fight against plagiarism? Maybe some prominent Indian newspaper or TV channel would love to hear about the fight you guys put up against Yahoo (what a talentless bunch of guys that Yahoo has hired).
Comment by ash — March 5, 2007 @ 4:07 pm
This is just too much. I thought plagiarism existed only at the bloggers level. To think that yahoo could publish any content without looking into the roots, is just heights of stupidity.
Has anyone mailed yahoo? Did they get any reply?
Comment by Bindu — March 5, 2007 @ 8:47 pm
Hi Padma, GG, Savi and Anupama: Thanks for your supporting words.
Hi Ash: The organizer of this event, Inji Pennu of Ginger and Mango tried contacting several news organizations but you know how it is with this big names. The response was lackluster and not that positive even though the truth is on our side.
Bindu: A lot of us contacted Yahoo. Mainly wrote emails, there was an email compaign before this event. I did send my letter but did not receive any reply from Yahoo-India.
Comment by Indira — March 6, 2007 @ 2:47 pm
Hi,
I am a journalist and have done a story on the same, which CIOL had published yesterday. Today, I received a response from the Yahoo spokesperson and I need to contact Surya Gayathri (Kariveppila) for her version. However, her blog doesn’t give her contact details. In case you know her contact details, could you pass it on to me?
I can be reached at priyap@cybermedia.co.in
Here is the link to the news story:
http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2007/107030609.asp
Comment by Priya — March 7, 2007 @ 1:41 am
I came across this news article on the alleged plagiarism by Yahoo Malayalam. Thought it could be of interest to you. Pasting the link below:
http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2007/107030710.asp
Comment by Robert — March 7, 2007 @ 5:46 am
Hi Priya, thanks for writing the piece and for posting about it here.
I do not have any direct touch with Surya Gayathri but I forwarded your email to Inji Pennu of Ginger and Mango, the organizer of this protest. She will definitely contact you back in few days.
Thanks.
Thanks for the link, Robert.
Comment by Indira — March 7, 2007 @ 1:46 pm
Yahoo also stole Anita’s image to display along with the potato curry recipe they stole from Surya Gayathri. They did not have Anita’s permission nor did they ask for it. But if they had, she would have probably said yes!
Comment by Manisha — March 7, 2007 @ 8:54 pm