Nigel's Eyes

20230316 When others stand on the shoulder of giants. Mine.

There's an outfit that is gaining attention hand-over-fist, growing its LinkedIn followers very rapidly.

That would be fine if they were doing it honestly.

But they aren't and I'm seriously cross.

In 2001, I wrote an article, Think Again, for Foreign Policy. It was republished on their website in 2009. It is very, very widely cited in academic papers. Even today, each month I am notified that it's in two or three pieces of research. Foreign Policy came to me because of something on my own website: "a brief history of money laundering."

The Think Again piece also been copied wholesale, with poor English edits, by supposed experts and published in local newspapers as part of their PR campaigns.

And bits of it appear, either copied or slightly re-written all over the place.

There is no copyright in fact, I know that. But there is copyright in ideas and in their expression.

There comes a point when re-writing may not be plagiarism in its technical sense but it's effectively using someone else's original thought for the user's commercial benefit.

I'm not going to identify the company concerned here but I would urge all my readers to be cautious when they spot something they like. We know when someone's been using my stuff because there are certain specific references that come up over and over again.

Of course, they don't want to credit me: they want to compete with our own e-learning and training.

And they want to use my original work, albeit slightly modified, to do it.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/11/19/think-again-money-laundering/

https://financialcrimeriskandcompliance.com/elan/web/history_money_laun…

What's worse is that the parts they did in fact originate contain errors: "dirty" money never becomes "clean" - a mistake often repeated by those who don't fully understand their subject.

I have a similar problem with those who try to build their reputations on my brand, The Financial Crime Forum. If it's not on our website, it's not a Financial Crime Forum event and I'm fed up with my name, brand and reputation being hijacked for the benefit of others.

So, here's the thing: why would you choose a pastiche when you can have the original? Me. Since 1994. Just get in touch.

And please don't repost, forward or like posts that build on the work of others. It harms our reputation and business.

www.financialcrimeriskandcompliance
https://learning.financialcrimeriskandcompliancetraining.com/
www.financialcrimeforum.com
www.worldmoneylaunderingreport
www.countermoneylaundering.com

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