Copyscape
Encyclopedia
Copyscape is an online plagiarism detection service that checks whether similar text content
appears elsewhere on the web
. It was launched in 2004 by Indigo Stream Technologies, Ltd.
Copyscape is used by content owners to detect cases of "content theft", in which content is copied without permission from one site to another. It is also used by content publishers to detect cases of content fraud
, in which old content is repackaged and sold as new original content.
or text of the original content, Copyscape returns a list of web pages that contain similar text to all or parts of this content. It also shows the matching text highlighted on the found web page. Copyscape banners can be placed on a web page to warn potential plagiarists not to steal content.
Copyscape also provides two paid services: Copysentry monitors the web and sends notifications
by email when new copies are found, and Copyscape Premium verifies the originality
of content purchased by online content publishers.
s to identify copied content that has been modified from its original form.
Independent plagiarism software tests conducted by Professor Debora Weber-Wulff of the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin found Copyscape Premium to be the best performing service.
Content (media and publishing)
In media production and publishing, content is information and experiences that may provide value for an end-user/audience in specific contexts. Content may be delivered via any medium such as the internet, television, and audio CDs, as well as live events such as conferences and stage performances...
appears elsewhere on the web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
. It was launched in 2004 by Indigo Stream Technologies, Ltd.
Copyscape is used by content owners to detect cases of "content theft", in which content is copied without permission from one site to another. It is also used by content publishers to detect cases of content fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
, in which old content is repackaged and sold as new original content.
Function
Given the URLUniform Resource Locator
In computing, a uniform resource locator or universal resource locator is a specific character string that constitutes a reference to an Internet resource....
or text of the original content, Copyscape returns a list of web pages that contain similar text to all or parts of this content. It also shows the matching text highlighted on the found web page. Copyscape banners can be placed on a web page to warn potential plagiarists not to steal content.
Copyscape also provides two paid services: Copysentry monitors the web and sends notifications
Notification system
A modern notification system is a combination of software and hardware that provides a means of delivering a message to a set of recipients. For example, notification systems can send an e-mail when a new topic has been added to Wikipedia. The complexity of the notification system is often...
by email when new copies are found, and Copyscape Premium verifies the originality
Originality
Originality is the aspect of created or invented works by as being new or novel, and thus can be distinguished from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or derivative works....
of content purchased by online content publishers.
Design and independent evaluation
Copyscape uses the Google Web API to power its searches. Copyscape uses a set of algorithmAlgorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
s to identify copied content that has been modified from its original form.
Independent plagiarism software tests conducted by Professor Debora Weber-Wulff of the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin found Copyscape Premium to be the best performing service.
Reported use in plagiarism cases
Copyscape's use has been reported in cases involving online plagiarism:- On August 6, 2009, Copyscape was cited as the means used to detect plagiarism before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of AppealsUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
. - On March 18, 2005, Copyscape was reported as the means used to search the Internet for unauthorized use of materials in the case of Brayton Purcell LLP vs. Recordon & Recordon, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Northern District of CaliforniaThe United States District Court for the Northern District of California is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San...
(361 F.Supp.2d 1135). According to Brayton Purcell, Copyscape was used to search the Internet for unauthorized use of materials on October 7, 2004. - On April 6, 2005, Arve Bersvendsen, a Norwegian Web developer, used Copyscape to find a copy of a CSSCSS-Computing:*Cascading Style Sheets, a language used to describe the style of document presentations in web development*Central Structure Store in the PHIGS 3D API*Closed source software, software that is not distributed with source code...
tutorialTutorialA tutorial is one method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture; a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete a certain task....
he wrote posted on a site owned by Apple Inc. Bersvendsen claimed that Apple had infringed his copyrightCopyright infringementCopyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
, and the content in question was immediately removed. - On October 17, 2005, Paul Litterick of the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and HumanistsNew Zealand Association of Rationalists and HumanistsNew Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists is an organisation, established in 1927 in New Zealand for the promotion of rationalism and secular humanism.The principal aims are stated as:...
used Copyscape to analyze Bruce LoganBruce LoganBruce Logan is a New Zealand conservative Christian who has been involved in opposition to liberal social policies within his country for over two decades.- Biography :...
's published newspaper work, setting off a plagiarism scandal. Litterick found that some of Logan's work was taken (in most cases with permission) from Anglo-American sources, including The Heritage FoundationThe Heritage FoundationThe Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
, the Conservative Christian FellowshipConservative Christian FellowshipThe Conservative Christian Fellowship is an organisation allied with the British Conservative Party, established in 1990 by Tim Montgomerie and Conservative MP David Burrowes whilst they were students at Exeter University....
, the Institute for American ValuesInstitute for American ValuesThe Institute for American Values is a neo-liberal and socially conservative organization in the United States.-Overview:Its president is David Blankenhorn. It has influenced both liberal and conservative politicians. It has been critical of divorce and out-of-wedlock childbirth. It supports...
, Digby AndersonDigby AndersonDr. Digby C. Anderson is the founder and former Director of the Social Affairs Unit, a public policy organization/economic think-tank created in 1980...
of the Social Affairs UnitSocial Affairs UnitThe Social Affairs Unit is a right-leaning think tank in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1980 as an offshoot of the Institute of Economic Affairs, it publishes books on a variety of social issues...
and writers Maggie GallagherMaggie GallagherMargaret Gallagher Srivastav , better known by her working name Maggie Gallagher, is an American writer, commentator, and opponent of same-sex marriage. She has written a syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate since 1995, and has published five books...
and Melanie PhillipsMelanie PhillipsMelanie Phillips is a British journalist and author. She began her career on the left of the political spectrum, writing for such publications as The Guardian and New Statesman. In the 1990s she moved to the right, and she now writes for the Daily Mail newspaper, covering political and social...
. Litterick published the results in the Fundy Post (Issues 18 and 19). Logan retired from the Maxim InstituteMaxim InstituteThe Maxim Institute is a research and public policy think tank based in Auckland, New Zealand. The Institute's work is oriented toward a conservative perspective on its issues of primary concern, which are now education policy, tax and welfare policy...
one month later. - On December 9, 2005, Richard Stiennon, a blogger at ZDNetZDNetZDNet is a business technology news website published by CBS Interactive, along with TechRepublic and SmartPlanet. The brand was founded on April 1, 1991 as a general interest technology portal from Ziff Davis and evolved into an enterprise IT-focused online publication owned by CNET...
, used Copyscape to find six Web sites that had stolen and re-published an ISP business planBusiness planA business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals....
he had written.