Plagiarism Concern

[Miracle_Falcon]

It has recently come to my attention that the AMV editor "Pat Castro" may have been plagiarizing my AMV "One Day More as Performed by the Cast of Code Geass." His AMV, "Geass Le Musical" has been submitted into the Animazement, Phoenix Comicon, and NekoCon 12 AMV contests, contests I neither attended nor submitted my AMV into.

My AMV was completed in December 2009, and "Pat Castro" started submitting his AMV after I won Best Drama and the Con Chair Award at Katsucon 16.

However, since I have not attended the contests to which Pat Castro submitted the video to, I cannot know if it is merely coincidence that our videos share the same title, although a screen shot I have been able to find of it suggests that he took my video and edited it.

Can anyone confirm if any amv looking at all like mine was entered in the contests?

One Day More, As Performed by the Cast of Code Geass:
Category: Drama, Other, Parody, etc. (+3)
Anime: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 (TV), Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion (TV)
Song: One Day More
Artist: Les Miserables (10th Anniversary Concert)
Creator: Miracle_Falcon

[JaddziaDax]

Here I was suspecting an "ohnoes someone clip stole my amv on youtube" @_@ as that is usually the "plagiarism concerns" around here O.o

In truth I am sorry to hear of your troubles. This sort of drama is apparently the reason my local con decided to close off it's doors to entries from people not attending O.o I hope he just made a similar video and isn't taking your video. I wasn't in attendance for any of those cons.

When I searched for a similar video on youtube, and google the only returns I got were your video and you winning at Katsucon, so I can see that it might be a little difficult to figure it out by google alone. The results of just searching the guy/his video title were him winning at those cons you mentioned.

Have you tried contacting the directors of those conventions and asking them to compare? Good luck and I hope someone responds soon to give you the answer.

[Kionon]

It happens. Someone stole Popularity and entered it at a florida con. Luckily AquaSky/IcyCloud was present. I contacted the con and the individual is now banned. They certainly never tried to create a new entry here, although we have caught two people doing that AND announcing the videos on the forums this year, iirc.

Unfortunately, though rare, it does happen.

[Miracle_Falcon]

Here I was suspecting an "ohnoes someone clip stole my amv on youtube" @_@ as that is usually the "plagiarism concerns" around here O.o

In truth I am sorry to hear of your troubles. This sort of drama is apparently the reason my local con decided to close off it's doors to entries from people not attending O.o I hope he just made a similar video and isn't taking your video. I wasn't in attendance for any of those cons.

When I searched for a similar video on youtube, and google the only returns I got were your video and you winning at Katsucon, so I can see that it might be a little difficult to figure it out by google alone. The results of just searching the guy/his video title were him winning at those cons you mentioned.

Have you tried contacting the directors of those conventions and asking them to compare? Good luck and I hope someone responds soon to give you the answer.

Thanks for your sympathy. I was actually hoping that the problem would go away, or otherwise, nothing would come of it - I'm not really sure what can be done even IF my video has been stolen. But someone posted to me yesterday saying that they saw my video at a convention I didn't enter it into... So... At this point, it seems reasonable to assume that it's actually my video. Close enough to be thought of as the same one, anyway.

I have since contacted the AMV coordinators at the AMV contests that I've found the video in - apparently the guy is calling it "Geass Le Musical," which is why I haven't caught it before now. I just got a lucky google search the other day that tipped me off to it.

[Davis 51]

What a horrible thing to do to someone.

Miracle_Falcon, all I can say is that I was at Anime Mid Atlantic (though I've been to many cons, this is the first AMA I've ever been to), and I saw your video. It was downright brilliant, and I loved the hell out of it. No one should have their work plagerized by anyone, but unfortunately it does happen.

I do have to wonder what plagerists are thinking. Do they really think they can get away with it? When a vid is screened to that many people, it's not as if no one would notice. Hopefully this punk gets blacklisted or something.

[rubyeye]

Miracle_Falcon,

You already contacted me about this issue regarding Pat Castro's submission to A-Kon, but I wanted to let you know we are looking more closely into the matter after another member also directed me to this thread. I'll PM you what we find.

[Miracle_Falcon]

Hi guys,

Sorry I haven't posted this sooner - I've been waiting to make 100% certain of the information I'm about to post.

I was wrong. It turns out that the AMV Pat Castro created is, in fact, not my own, and was even created before mine - he just tucked it away for a long while for his own reasons. As such, neither of us could have possibly copied off the other. I have talked to him, and I am satisfied with his responses.

Thanks to all who offered me sympathy on this matter, and I'm sorry for raising a false alarm - although I hope people wouldn't blame me for being concerned.

Again, much appreciated, and my apologies for the false alarm, and to Pat Castro for incorrectly implicating him.

[Subtle Sorrow]

How can you bitch about someone using your video when you're using anime and music that you didn't create haha? Sounds hypocritical to me.

[BasharOfTheAges]

The OP never claimed to have made the anime or the audio... the same can't be said for this other person and the finished product, hence "plagiarism."