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Topic: Why Lying is Bad in the age of Google

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caviglia avatar
Subject: Why Lying is Bad in the age of Google
Date Posted: 8/11/2009 7:05 PM ET
Member Since: 1/30/2009
Posts: 5,696
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A week or so ago, a recent college graduate contacted me saying he was interested in producing one of my plays.  Great! It's always nice to hear from strangers out of the blue.  I asked him some questions, and he sounded like he didn't totally have his act together yet, so I didn't contact the Dramatists Guild re: putting together a contract yet.

Also - he has a super common name, so he's a little bit difficult to Google.  Fast forward to today.  A friend on facebook was complaining about Bing, the new (heavily advertized) search engine.  I decided to try it out, searching my own name.  About 35 entries in is a bio for the kid who wanted to produce my play listing my play as a previous directing credit.  Oops.  I sent him a pretty unscary email asking him what the deal was - as I didn't want to scare him off.  But - he's obviously either lying on his resume using my work to bolster his credits, which, uncool.  Or he has actually peroduced my play, which = stealing. 

I'm interested to hear what he has to say for himself.

xengab avatar
Date Posted: 8/13/2009 12:47 PM ET
Member Since: 10/13/2007
Posts: 36,445
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I would contact your Guild and send them the links for it.  If he wants to get into that line of work then he had better learn the rules fast.
Maybe they can scare the truth out of him, either way he does need a scare because of his blantant lying or theft.
I would also write up something for your blog and bio stating you have never given persmission for him to use your work, and no contract exsists.

caviglia avatar
Date Posted: 8/13/2009 1:02 PM ET
Member Since: 1/30/2009
Posts: 5,696
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He did do a public performance of my work at his school - but it was only half the play.  Sigh.  It's so annoying, because if he had just contacted my publisher, it would have been fine.  And he doesn't seem like a bad kid, just unknowlegable and naive (his professor, however, should have known better!).  I've been playing phone tag with the Dramatist Guild, as I'm really not sure what to do. He needs a talking to, but not a smack down, I think.

ETA - he didn't need the truth scared out of him.  He happily volunteered it.  He really has no clue. Poor puppy.



Last Edited on: 8/13/09 1:03 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
xengab avatar
Date Posted: 8/13/2009 7:05 PM ET
Member Since: 10/13/2007
Posts: 36,445
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Not sure if that is sadder that he willingly told people that he used someones work without paying them for it. 
Do you know what school he goes to so you can let his professor know and ask why no one checked?

Could you send him a bill for what it would have cost? Might be worth the effort to send him some guidelines to follow in the future.
He could just be that clueless OR was not told or taught what he needs to do. Half the kids these days do not even know how to credit a source for research papers *sighs*