What does Ellipsus do about plagiarism/theft?

We built Ellipsus to be a safe space for creativity. Sometimes, though, disputes can arise about whether someone's using another person's work without proper acknowledgment. Here's how we handle those situations.

First, a quick reminder of our philosophy: We do not police the content you write within Ellipsus. We value fair use and transformative creative expression, including fan fiction. Transform away!

However—as stated in our Terms of Service—plagiarism (the unacknowledged use of someone else's work or ideas claimed as one's own) is not permitted.

You should reach out to us if you believe someone is:

• Copying substantial portions of your work without acknowledgment or permission

• Claiming credit for work and passages that originated with you or another writer

• Republishing your work as their own, even with minor changes

• Using collaborative features (like shared documents) to access and copy your work without consent

What doesn't typically qualify for a dispute:

•  Similar ideas, themes, or premises (great minds think alike!)

• Common phrases, tropes, or genre conventions

• Inspiration that's been transformed into original expression

• Properly attributed quotations, references, or fair use

If you believe your work has been plagiarized within Ellipsus, please contact us, and include:

• Your account information and the original work in question

• The specific content you believe was plagiarized (links, screenshots, or document IDs)

• The allegedly plagiarizing content source

• Any other relevant context or evidence of copying

The more specific information you provide, the faster we can investigate. Reports like "someone stole my story idea" are harder for us to evaluate than "this document contains identical paragraphs from my work; here's the comparison."

Once we receive your report, here's what will happen:

• Our team will review the materials provided, comparing the works in question

• We may reach out for clarification if we need additional info or context

• We’ll contact the other party to get their perspective and give them a chance to respond

• We’ll make a determination based on the evidence and our terms of service

Depending on what we find, we will:

• If we determine plagiarism occurred—

  • Ask the user to remove or properly attribute the plagiarized content

  • Temporarily restrict the user's access to collaborative features

  • In severe cases (or if the user refuses to comply), suspend their account

• If we don't find evidence of plagiarism—

  • We’ll close the case and inform both parties of our decision

• If the situation is unclear—

  • We’ll work with both parties to find an acceptable resolution, with additional guidance on attribution and collaboration etiquette (if needed)

These situations are nuanced, and users might wish to ask for an appeal. You can always reopen your case by explaining why you believe our determination was incorrect. The appeal will be reviewed by a different team member when possible.

If you have questions about plagiarism policies, reporting procedures, or anything else covered in this guide, please reach out at support@ellipsus.com.

Remember, our goal isn't to be the creativity police! It's to maintain Ellipsus as a safe place where writers can create, collaborate, and share their work with the confidence that it will be respected.

This information supplements our Terms of Service. When in doubt, those terms govern your use of Ellipsus.