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Why is it wrong to take someone’s idea and use it as your own?

In addition to the fact that stealing is stealing no matter what you are taking, stealing an

English: Mimi & Eunice, “Thief”. Categories at the source website: Anger, Delusions, IP. Transcript: Mimi: Copying without permission is stealing! Eunice: Copying without permission is stealing! Mimi: THIEF! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

idea is stealing someone’s time, work and/or creativity. If a person came up with an idea, it is not fair for anyone else to take the credit for the idea because they did not create it, or spend any time or work on it.

Stealing Ideas is Cheating

It is also cheating. If you are assigned an English essay, and use someone else’s (like maybe your older sister who got an A plus), your teacher will get the wrong impression on your work. It is the same thing as looking at someone’s paper during a test and copying their answer – you are not showing your own work.

It is important to always give credit to someone if you use their work. If you are quoting someone else’s words in an essay, mention who said it. This way the person who said it can get the appreciation that they deserve. Because stealing an idea is easy, and it may be harder to get caught sometimes, people are less careful about this, or they try to convince themselves that it is not really stealing. That is not the case, and people should be very careful and respectful about not taking someone else’s ideas or work.

Editor’s Note:  Stealing ideas is plagiarism and plagiarism is a serious issue today.  In recent years, many noted journalists have lost their credibility and careers as a result of stealing the ideas and words of others.  In school, the penalties are failing grades.  At University, the results can include expulsion from the school (with no refund).  On the Internet, even the search engines look for plagiarism (even of one’s own work).  When found, the offending website can be blacklisted.

What are your thoughts on stealing ideas?  Please share.