# Cecil Rip Off
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [October 14, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668 "2011-10-14T20:31:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/1 "2011-10-14T20:31:14Z")
I googled Robert Falls to get more info on today’s article by Cecil and found [this site reprinting today’s column verbatim.](http://woodonfire.wordpress.com/) I take it you’ll want to look into it.
---
### Author:  [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/2 "2011-10-14T20:57:34Z")
It says “By Cecil Adams.” If you search any specific article Cecil wrote (I know this because I googled my IRL name once), there’s about twenty blogs that seem to have mirrored them. I don’t know what the legality of that is.
---
### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/3 "2011-10-15T00:14:18Z")
Ah, thank goodness. I came in afraid that Cecil was going around sticking up liquor stores again.
---
### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/4 "2011-10-15T00:27:05Z")
Thank you very much for reporting this. I’ve alerted the appropriate personnel.
---
### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/5 "2011-10-15T07:46:49Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#):
>
> Thank you very much for reporting this. I’ve alerted the appropriate personnel.
“Author of lumber blog mysteriously assassinated.”
---
### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/6 "2011-10-15T14:45:55Z")
The “author” of that blog has the following details:
> [@](#):
>
> Greg Branecky has over 30 years of experience in the building supply industry: in sales, inventory, and purchasing.
>
> …
>
> Greg’s interests are in economics, gadgets and technology. He reads over 20 books a year in areas of business, biographies and history.
One of his prime qualifications is that he “reads over 20 books a year.”
Well.
I am impressed…I mean, 20 books. In one year. On business, biographies, and history. Like…wow.
I mean…do you think he signs autographs? Maybe he’ll sign my Erin Esurance Body Pillow! I’ll bet he might, if I asked nicely. That would be awesome.
:rolleyes:
---
### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/7 "2011-10-15T15:17:29Z")
Did you notice he didn’t even bother to copy the Slug cartoon to his own webspace, and is just hotlinking to the picture for [column on the Washington City Paper website](http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41601/straight-dope-a-square-tree-in-a-round-bark)?
---
### Author:  [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/8 "2011-10-15T16:12:20Z")
The guy seems to be involved in the lumber industry. Most of his blog’s posts are from Calculated Risk on the construction industry. He made one post about an interesting SD article relating to lumber, and now you guys are shitting on him. Why?
---
### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/9 "2011-10-15T16:20:10Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#):
>
> The guy seems to be involved in the lumber industry. Most of his blog’s posts are from Calculated Risk on the construction industry. He made one post about an interesting SD article relating to lumber, and now you guys are shitting on him. Why?
Because he stole an article from the Straight Dope.
---
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/10 "2011-10-15T16:22:14Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#):
>
> The guy seems to be involved in the lumber industry. Most of his blog’s posts are from Calculated Risk on the construction industry. He made one post about an interesting SD article relating to lumber, and now you guys are shitting on him. Why?
He didn’t make a post about the article-he _copied_ the entire article apparently without permission.
---
### Author:  [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/11 "2011-10-15T16:22:15Z")
Yeah, I’m sure stealing one SD article doubled his readership from 3 to 6.
---
### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/12 "2011-10-15T16:23:48Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#):
>
> He made one post about an interesting SD article relating to lumber, and now you guys are shitting on him. Why?
Because he violated the copyright by posting the whole column, and by posting the Slug cartoon the accompanies it. Do you think that should be permitted?
---
### Author:  [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/13 "2011-10-15T16:25:24Z")
All of his posts have links to the original column at the very top.
---
### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/14 "2011-10-15T16:27:31Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#):
>
> All of his posts have links to the original column at the very top.
That does not give him the right to post them on his blog. It is a violation of copyright if he does not get permission from the copyright holder.
---
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/15 "2011-10-15T16:31:29Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#):
>
> Yeah, I’m sure stealing one SD article doubled his readership from 3 to 6.
Precedent, dude. How can you justify stopping some from stealing your work and not others?
> [@MOIDALIZE](#):
>
> All of his posts have links to the original column at the very top.
Why would people bother to read the original if the entirety of it is republished without permission in his blog?
---
### Author:  [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/16 "2011-10-15T16:34:33Z")
What do you guys care? He posted one SD article relating to the narrow focus of his blog, and you guys are all like “Oh no! Creative Loafing’s intellectual property, RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!” It’s not like he’s swiping every SD article and trying to jump ahead in Google’s rankings.
---
### Author:  [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/17 "2011-10-15T16:35:15Z")
From what saw, he really doesn’t have a blog. He’s just a wannabe who copies articles he finds on the web and calls it a blog.
---
### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/18 "2011-10-15T16:36:03Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#):
>
> What do you guys care? He posted one SD article relating to the narrow focus of his blog, and you guys are all like “Oh no! Creative Loafing’s intellectual property, RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!” It’s not like he’s swiping every SD article and trying to jump ahead in Google’s rankings.
Let me guess; you think all information should be free, right?
---
### Author:  [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/19 "2011-10-15T16:38:05Z")
That must be it.
---
### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668/20 "2011-10-15T16:40:43Z")
Just looking at the link right now, I don’t see anything by Cecil, and the front page article has a Oct 13 date. Maybe it was taken down?
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-rip-off/599668.md?page=2)