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The way I see it, whether Bubba plagiarized is relative to information not
provided in the original scenario. If Bubba created the book for his own
benefit, he could easily be charged with theft. QEF- his plagiarism.
If the manual was authorized by and created for the benefit of the company,
Bubba did not plagiarize according to modern corporate culture. He was a
real bonehead, however, for not informing the TWs of his intent to use their
documentation.
It sounds as if Bubba was attributed as the author. If this book was under
the aegis of the company, he should have taken credit as an editor, not
author.
The question of plagiarism itself is difficult. Plagiarism is the act of
claiming authorship or ownership of other peoples ideas or words. Recycling
documentation in the corporate culture is tacitly approved of, and is seen
as the efficient use of information by all parties involved. In the strict
sense of the word, the corporate recycling is literally plagiarism.
As to who owns the copyright, I have nary a clue. I can't remember where I
saw the article, nevertheless it claimed that writers retain the copyrights
not the company.
Michael D Simoni
msimoni -at- omware -dot- com <mailto:msimoni -at- omware -dot- com>
