This was originally a response to the Metatalk thread on J.D. Frazer’s “User-Friendly” plagiarism, but I figured it was worth sharing here too.

Well, while we’re at it:

I tried to pass off Amazing Grace as my own original melody in a sixth grade music composition assignment. I didn’t even know at the time that Amazing Grace was a widespread classic; I’d just heard Scotty playing it on his bagpipe at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and figured our music teacher probably didn’t watch Star Trek so he wouldn’t know some obscure sci-fi musical interlude.

When the old man played the submitted melodies in front of class on his upright piano, he paused a bit at mine while playing, but didn’t say anything.

I got a C.