Famous People Who’ve Been Accused of Plagiarism

People often try to cut corners by using the work of others and passing it off as theirs. This is often a “crime” committed by many students in their academic writing for which universities have severe penalties. Students are not the only ones guilty of plagiarism. Over the years, there have been several famous people who have been accused of this. Let’s take a look at a few of these cases.\r \r 1. E.L. James\r \r The name E.L. James is almost synonymous with the best seller Fifty Shades of Grey. There have been allegations of plagiarism surrounding this talented writer’s novel. Fifty Shades of Grey started as a fanfiction spin-off of the Twilight novels which James posted online. Initially, Edward and Bella were two characters from James’s story just as in the movie Twilight Saga. The fan fiction was removed from online, the characters were changed, but the rest of the book remained the same. As such, many people questioned whether James’s publication was legal. Although the book was published, became a movie and the author made millions, Stephanie Meyer, the author of Twilight Saga didn’t take legal action against James.\r \r 2. Martin Luther King, Jr.\r \r We are all familiar with the “I have a dream” speech and the stellar contributions that Martin Luther King Jr. made towards the civil rights movement. Well, one thing you may not know is that in 1991, over twenty-three years after his passing, a committee appointed by Boston University concluded that Dr. King plagiarized some sections in the dissertation he submitted for his doctoral degree. Although the committee ruled not to revoke his doctorate, this serves as a warning to scholars of the impact of such a practice.\r \r 3. George Harrison\r \r George Harrison had a rocky start to his career. Harrison's 1970 smash single "My Sweet Lord" has a lot in common with the Chiffons' 1963 hit single "He's So Fine." A lawsuit was filed against Harrison for copyright infringement, which he lost and paid over half a million dollars. While this plagiarism wasn’t purposefully done, it is thought that it was due to influence. Harrison heard the 1963 song, forgot it and subconsciously took elements of the song. Artists and writers are often encouraged to guard against this type of plagiarism as it has the potential to ruin what they’ve worked for.\r \r 4. J. K. Rowling\r \r The popular Harry Potter Series which became a must see on the big screen, is the work of the gifted author, J.K. Rowling. The estate of the late author Adrian Jacobs claimed that Rowling lifted the plot of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire from his book, “The Adventures of Willy the Wizard.” Rowling and her publisher won the case, however; that didn’t stop the estate of Jacobs to attempt to sue Rowling in other countries, such as America and Australia. None of these other lawsuits were successful.\r \r 5. Nicki Minaj\r \r Nicki Minaj seems to be a magnet for plagiarism allegations. In 2013, this rapper was accused of copying parts of her song “Starships” from Clive Tanaka’s 2011 song. Tracy Chapman also filed a lawsuit against Minaj in 2018 over claims that Minaj’s song “Sorry” used her 1988 track “Baby Can I Hold you” without permission. Chapman won and Minaj was ordered to pay $450,000. After Minaj started selling her brand of wigs online, Terrance Davidson sued Minaj for $30 million on the grounds that she had stolen his wig designs. Yes, this is unusual, but it does constitute plagiarism. This lawsuit was dismissed in 2014.