Article
The Demidenko Affair: Copyright Law, Plagiarism, and Ridicule
Media and Arts Law Review
(2000)
Abstract
This article provides an account of one of Australia's great literary hoaxes - the Demidenko affair. In particular, it focuses upon the accusations that Helen Darville plagiarised a number of historical and literary texts in her novel, The Hand That Signed The Paper. This article considers how the dispute was interpreted in three different contexts - the literary community, the legal system, and the media. Part 1 examines how writers, publishers, and editors understood the controversy in terms of the aesthetics and ethics of plagiarism. Part 2 details how lawyers framed the discussion in light of economic rights and moral rights under copyright law. Part 3 deals with the media attention upon the personalities and politics of the scandal. The conclusion charts the competition between these various communities over who should resolve the dispute.
Keywords
- Copyright law,
- literary works,
- historical fiction,
- plagiarism,
- economic rights,
- moral rights,
- post-modernism.
Disciplines
Publication Date
September 1, 2000
Citation Information
Matthew Rimmer. "The Demidenko Affair: Copyright Law, Plagiarism, and Ridicule" Media and Arts Law Review Vol. 5 Iss. 3 (2000) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/matthew_rimmer/34/