By Paige Nordeen, Senior Staff Columnist

We live in a fast-paced, technologically savvy, digital age; apparently, some people just can’t keep up with the rules. It baffles me when I hear of people missing the memo regarding copyright infringement, while firmly believing that information on the Internet is public domain.

Every student attending San Diego State has been barraged with warnings about plagiarizing and taught how to properly cite sources. Now, a real world scenario reminds us why: An online and print magazine based out of Western New England has lifted copyrighted texts and photographs off the Internet and claimed the information as its own.

Cooks Source, the magazine responsible for copyright infringement, has recently taken heat from across the nation. For years, this magazine has slid under the radar and blatantly plagiarized articles and photographs from countless sources, according to npr.org. After Cooks Source published its October 2010 issue, the seemingly benign article, “As American as Apple Pie — Isn’t!” created an avalanche of criticism that led to its downfall.

According to The Washington Post, the original author, Monica Gaudio, was informed her culinary article had been stolen and published in a magazine. In response, Gaudio contacted Cooks Source asking for an apology as well as a $130 donation to the Columbia School of Journalism. The Washington Post printed Cooks Source editor Judith Griggs’, laughable and embarrassing response:

“But honestly, Monica, the Web is considered ‘public domain’ and you should be happy we just didn’t ‘lift’ your whole article and put someone else’s name on it! It happens a lot,     clearly more than you are aware of, especially on college campuses, and the workplace. If  you took offense and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally.”

What a joke. Not only does this woman shamelessly stand by her uneducated and implausible belief that articles on the Web are public domain, but she pathetically diminishes the very author the magazine plagiarized. Instead of taking the easy route and reconciling with the author and her modest requests, Griggs demonstrated her mastery of public relations by disgracefully insulting the author with condescending jabs and low blows. Little did Griggs know, this miscalculation was about to blow up in her face.

Once the plagiarism of copyrighted material hit headlines, Cooks Source’s official website and Facebook page fell victim to an onslaught of indignation from the community. The public outrage ultimately led to its demise. The Facebook page has been flooded with enraged opinions on the comment page from users. Cookssource.com  has officially closed its site because of the retaliation of heated e-mails it also received. Now the website contains a lonely, halfhearted apology, pleading online users to halt their efforts and understand that Cooks Source will now inflict changes within the company and pledge to cite each source.

Did it really have to come to this? Although Cooks Source claims it was unaware of copyright laws, the magazine could have easily abided Gaudio’s small requests, ultimately escaping the amplified scrutiny imposed by the community. It may sound harsh, but I firmly believe it got what it deserved.

Any simpleton should be aware printed material with a copyright sign is off limits. Thus, do not copy and paste someone else’s work and call it your own. This is stealing. Authors, artists, music producers and countless others suffer from the broadcasted information obtainable through the Internet. The immense free-for-all of information flowing through the Web often gives unethical people the temptation to slap their name on it and revise it as their own. Whether it is copying a simple sentence or blatantly plagiarizing an article, individuals are diminishing their capacity for original thought. Stop hijacking creativity, grow up, and create your own material.

—Paige Nordeen is a media studies senior.

—The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec.