November 23, 2009, 04:31 PM ET
By Ben Terris; The Wired Campus
This article has been republished by DAN CALLOWAY in its entirety
Date and time of republication: 24 November 2009 @ 21:46 UCT
WEAVERVILLE, NC – Without her knowing it, a paper that Melinda Riebolt co-wrote while getting her M.B.A. was stolen and put up for sale. And, according to an article that USA Today reported last week, that same scenario has played out many times before.
The article discusses how some essay mills — Web sites that provide written works for students — surreptitiously steal work and then sell it for others to pass off as their own.
For the first time, however, those who find unauthorized postings of their work online may have a way to seek legal retribution. The article says a class-action lawsuit filed in 2006 is making its way through the courts, and one judge in Illinois has found a provider liable on six counts, including fraud and copyright infringement. That site is called RC2C Inc. and hosts at least nine sites that sell term papers.
Essay mills often provide their own written works.
