Copied from: copyscape dot com/plagiarism.php



"Copying (plagiarism) web material is a serious and growing problem on the Web. At any moment, anyone in the world can copy your online content and instantly paste it onto their own site. After making minor changes, they will claim your content as their own.


The Web is built on the hard work of honest people who devote their time and energy to creating original content. The global epidemic of content theft violates people's rights and discourages the creation of new web content.


Copyscape was created as a free public service to address this growing problem. The resources below can help you protect your rights online and defend against the threats of plagiarism and content theft"


When I buy original content for a web site I always check Copyscape to make sure it is in fact original and not something "cut and pasted" from the Internet. It amazes me how many times I find copied material.