The long-arms of idea theft

Who hasn't experienced the misappropriation of an idea or project? How often do people see their ideas used after going for a job interview or after a meeting only to discover that someone else has used the suggestions without giving credit? It appears this type of behaviour is not unusual, and it is not a legal offence!

Professional associations, service providers, or fund granting donors frequently request a draft of a project, then dismiss it, but end up tailoring the plan provided into a new proposal under someone else’s direction, and I am well aware of this!

How far should one go to impress a prospective boss, government agency, or experts attending a conference or seminar? Laying down the preliminary works might make one feel proud, but realising later that the ideas were recycled is a stab in the back.

Some people and institutions can get away with this. Indeed, cross-checking ideas presented during job interviews, academic presentations, or meetings is not a regular practice.

In ‘Stealing Fire: Creative Deviance in the Evolution of New Ideas’, the writer Mainemelis, citing Menton’s work from 1986, pointed out that in some social structures, we can find fairly high rates of deviant behaviour because they are responding normally to the social situation in which they belong. In other words, stealing ideas should not be viewed negatively because it is part of their social fabric.

While idea theft is prevalent in businesses, people rarely notice it. History suggests a string of inventions that came from stolen ideas, such as the invention of the telephone, the telescope, the sewing machine, the television, the laser, the radio, and so on.

Stolen ideas or top plagiarism cases seem to be an issue in the modern world because of the stack of open information available. In the entertainment industry, there are loads of claims such as, ‘I sent my script to an agent and another writer copied some of the ideas’ or ‘I had a pitch meeting and a producer used my idea but didn’t pay me’. Famous contentious cases allegedly involved The Da Vinci Code, The Frost King, the fourth instalment in Harry Potter (Goblet of Fire), The Lord of the Rings, and Fifty Shades of Grey, among others.

Photos, sketches, paintings, and sculptures are frequently copied without consent or credit, and it does not matter whether filters are used to adjust the colour or add text; it is still theft. Banning books, movies, or plays suppresses critical thinking, as innovation stems from multiple perspectives. According to popular belief, creators get inspiration; the others steal.

Have you ever heard of academics approaching students to ‘collaborate’ on a project? That implies the student would do all the work, while the professor gets most of the credit. Another example is when an adviser writes an academic paper based on their student’s master’s dissertation. This indicates a culture of silence in which academics lift ideas from their students’ work.

Some scholars claim that there is no such thing as idea theft because another individual could have had the same idea or said the same thing previously.

In literature, it is believed that intellectual inbreeding causes people to steal ideas, projects, or plans. As with genetic inbreeding, intellectual inbreeding is insular and unhealthy. It hinders the introduction of new ideas from outside sources; journalism is no different.

“Who would want to steal anything from me?’ ‘Perhaps a thief...’ (Julius Cesar).” Idea theft is an issue for journalists and media professionals.

Encouragement and motivation to think about and pursue new ideas foster creativity. Artists, composers, and intellectuals give wings to their imaginations, which can often transform their creations into masterpieces. Supporting intellectual stimulation to new possibilities or new angles for solutions to old problems is key to innovation and leadership.