SCP-1926 (“Meet The Mewts”, “The Mewts”) was a containment fiction article posted to the SCP Foundation Wiki on March 28, 2013, about magical, animated children’s plush toys, called “Mewts”.[1]https://web.archive.org/web/20190129210348/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1926 The article was well-received and enjoyed notoriety and cultural exposure. It was removed from the SCP Wiki in Febraury 2020 for plagiarism concerns.[2]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-12990974/deletions-63:it-s-more-important-to-master-the-cards-you-re#post-4517178[3]https://www.flickr.com/photos/tobiahmundt/4004878901/in/photostream/
A new article has occupied the slot since February 2020.[4]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-13079904/scp-1926#post-4517697
Copyright Infringement
In May 2015, it was brought to the SCP Wiki’s Licensing Team that SCP-1926 had lifted images that were copyrighted, without permission. “The Mewts” were an established product manufactured by a third party artist unrelated to the SCP Wiki or the text of SCP-1926. The Mewts were sold through an Etsy shop as far back as 2007.[5]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren Photos of the Mewts were identified on Etsy, and Flickr.[6]https://www.flickr.com/photos/tobiahmundt/3948245564/
Additionally, an in-article description of the anomaly was taken from the product description, the two texts featuring the following, identical passage:
Meet the Mewts.
The Mewts are magical creatures from a place that is so far away, it’s right next to your dreams. They don’t have mouths, so they can’t speak. They don’t have arms, so they can’t hug. But they are full of more love than any creature you’ve ever known. They exist to watch over us, with their big, knowing eyes. They are protectors of everything we hold dear. We are what they hold dear.
Staff created a disciplinary thread for the author, DrBerggren, wherein it was suggested the user be permabanned and the article deleted, in a fashion previously seen on the SCP Wiki regarding cases of overt plagiarism.[7]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren [8]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-614689 DrBerggren’s ban was met with assent and carried out.[9]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2305893
It was decided from the discussion that the artist who created the Mewts and whose intellectual property was stolen should be made aware, apologized to on behalf of the SCP Wiki/DrBerggren, and their preferences asked for, then abided by. It was debated whether the article should be summarily deleted or rewritten.[10]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284714 Alternatively, removal of the offending section was suggested.[11]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284780
The plagiarism was explicitly against the rules at the time, and the consequences called for immediate deletion.[12]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284896 However, the popularity of the article and the fanart it inspired was considered.[13]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284901 This was pushed back against by others, however.[14]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284985 The article was erased and the page locked during the deliberations.[15]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2285034
A message to the artist was typed and shared, wherein the decision as to what to do with the article was left up to the artist.[16]https://archive.fo/Zuoyx In a reply, the artist thanked the SCP Wiki staff for notifying her, and gave permission for the text to remain on the site with attribution.[17]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2317418 The article was returned to its designation slot and proper attribution added.[18]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2339553 Some pictures’ were not re-instated, as their copyright holders could not be reached for comment, instead being replaced by images from the original artist.[19]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2328002[20]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2330890
The disciplinary thread’s conclusion was reached on July 16, 2015. Five years later, in February 2020, an administrator revisited the article and called for its summary deletion on the basis of plagiarism.[21]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-4503712 The proposition by then received no dissent, and the article was recorded as deleted shortly thereafter.[22]https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-12990974/deletions-63:it-s-more-important-to-master-the-cards-you-re#post-4517178
Quotes
“But this is not about us and our convenience. Our website has potentially caused harm to this artist. We should attempt to rectify that, and in a way that THEY would prefer. Not in a way that would be simple for us to execute.
Given the popularity of the SCP and what that might represent to the victim of the plagiarism, we should hear what they have to say before making a decision on the article’s fate.” — thedeadlymoose[23]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284948
————–
“Hey, thanks for the message
Yeah sorry for all the trouble, this was very clearly a mistake and I probably did not recognize it as such at the time and that was a bad thing. The Mewts is, uh, as best as I recall here’s what happened. It was several years ago, that doesn’t excuse the heinousness of the crime, it just puts into perspective who I was at the time. A teen addled by many meds and back pain who was more concerned with being liked than the integrity. I dunno if that’s a fair appraisal of Past Peter.
So.
Someone on the irc, I think maybe Soulless or someone of that ilk? Showed me the Etsy(?) page as a skip fuel source. I’m not shifting blame here. Possibly this person said it’d be cool if I could write it up as a skip. Now when I wrote it up, it was in such complete form with those addenda that are, indeed, wholesale from the Etsy page, that if I had meant to go and change them to something of my own, the draft was too well received, and I went with what people liked. The person who suggested it to me didn’t call me out on it – again not shifting blame, just an observation. I have a bad habit for cryptomnesia oftentimes. Maybe I forgot somewhere along the way that it wasn’t my idea. I don’t know if that could be the case with such a story as the Mewts, with my exceedingly good trivia memory, I don’t know. But what I’m pretty sure about is that I slipped up big time by overlooking, missing the fact, that it was plagiarism. Very sorry.
You can delete the skip if you must, that’s only fair. Hope the people who make fanart understand they’re not making my fanart. But I’d very much appreciate continuing to be a member of the SCP wiki and commmunity therebeyond. It’s a very good place and it would be very not fun to lose it, and I hope you can hear and appreciate my input into this issue.
Hearts in stomachs,
Berggren”[24]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284726
————–
“The distinction is that we’re giving the artist a choice. By completely neglecting to include the original creator, we are removing any chance they had here to having their work appreciated. THEIR work. Not the work of the plagiarist.
Cutting the artist’s wants or wishes out of this, even though we can easily contact them and discuss the situation with them, we are possibly causing more harm. It’s easy to cut the limb off. That’s the easiest surgery in the world. But sometimes, the extra effort of saving the limb is worth it. Since, you know, it lets someone have all their limbs.
In this case, the artist has an audience they did not know existed because someone stole their work and is using it. They should have the opportunity to address and embrace that audience. Rather than have the traces of it utterly scoured away.” –TroyL[25]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2285021
————–
“We have received benefits from this plagiarized work (increased traffic to the site from fanworks relating to the content). The original author who has been plagiarized has been harmed by the plagiarism that we benefited from. The arguments in favor of contacting the original author is simply to allow them, if they so choose, to get some benefit from their work.
This is something that content creators on youtube are given as an option (for copyright infringement, which I’m aware is a different but related issue to plagiarism), and it helps, rather than hurts. They are not simply limited to a take down notice. They can choose, for example, to monetize a video someone else has posted with their content.
The conclusion that we came to was that if the original author would like us to, we can direct a little traffic to the author’s other works that are available for purchase. Whatever our policy is, we shouldn’t pretend they don’t deserve a voice in the conversation.” — Doctor Cimmerian[26]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2298362
————–
“Hi Gaffney,
Sorry about the delay in responding! I am fine with you continuing to use this text on your site. I would appreciate attribution (however it is appropriate to do so without affecting your aesthetic). If you need to reach me again, please feel free to email me at [e-mail] and I will be MUCH more responsive.
Thanks again,
-Elly”[27]http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2317418
References
| ↑1 | https://web.archive.org/web/20190129210348/https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1926 |
|---|---|
| ↑2, ↑22 | https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-12990974/deletions-63:it-s-more-important-to-master-the-cards-you-re#post-4517178 |
| ↑3 | https://www.flickr.com/photos/tobiahmundt/4004878901/in/photostream/ |
| ↑4 | https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-13079904/scp-1926#post-4517697 |
| ↑5, ↑7 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren |
| ↑6 | https://www.flickr.com/photos/tobiahmundt/3948245564/ |
| ↑8 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-614689 |
| ↑9 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2305893 |
| ↑10 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284714 |
| ↑11 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284780 |
| ↑12 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284896 |
| ↑13 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284901 |
| ↑14 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284985 |
| ↑15 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2285034 |
| ↑16 | https://archive.fo/Zuoyx |
| ↑17, ↑27 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2317418 |
| ↑18 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2339553 |
| ↑19 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2328002 |
| ↑20 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2330890 |
| ↑21 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-4503712 |
| ↑23 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284948 |
| ↑24 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2284726 |
| ↑25 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2285021 |
| ↑26 | http://05command.wikidot.com/forum/t-1186120/drberggren#post-2298362 |
pixelatedHarmony