Is a Winner of The 10th Philippine Web Awards Guilty of Plagiarism?
By Rico, 6:06 pm Wed Nov 28 2007 - News - 76 Opinions
A few hours ago, an anonymous source provided Technograph with evidence of apparent plagiarism by Einsteinarts.com. The Arts and Portfolio winner of the 10th Philippine Web Awards uses the same platform located at 24-7media.de/os/popup.html. The “fully functional web template” is currently being sold for $3,000.
Einsteinarts.com/main.html:
24-7media.de/os/popup.html:
Technograph approached Einstein S. Gan, the owner of the site, for clarification. Mr. Gan admitted that his portfolio site was an imitation, but stressed that it was purely accidental and that he “didn’t really knew [sic] about the 24-7media site.” He also claimed that he “added all my own actionscipts, icons, content, background, etc for my own site. I know the skin still looks very much the same to the site you have provided…That’s because I was using it as a template for my own site.”
The guidelines of the PWAs clearly state that “The entry must not be plagiarized in terms of content and design from a copyrighted source, such as another Web site.” Is Einsteinarts.com guilty of plagiarism? If so, then Media Gateway Inc., the organizers of the Philippine Web Awards, have broken their own rules. Admittedly, the definition of plagiarism in the visual sense has been confused by the proliferation of free website and blog themes. Technogra.ph uses the Semiologic theme, a highly-customizable platform that many other websites use.
In any case, it is clear that Media Gateway should look into this matter further. At the very least, they need to clarify their guidelines for next year’s competition. Read Technograph’s other articles on the 2007 Philippine Web Awards.
Update: Einsteinarts.com is down.
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kian
7:07 pm Thu Dec 6 2007
tsk tsk, eh anu ba pinagmamalaki mo @reality, eh wala ka pa sa kalingkingan ko, bwahahahaha, mahirap mag salita pero baka mapahiya ka lang, wawa ka naman reality, i pity you
brain donor
12:12 am Fri Dec 7 2007
“kian @ 12:35 am:
bullshit pala ang web awards na yan, yung mga iba pinaghirapan website nila tapos disqualify lang nila because of some certain reasons…”
-Nagbabasa ka ba ng actual details or nakikisakay ka lang sa mga nakalagay dito? The article says, “In an e-mail to MGC, Einstein Gan, the designer of the Website, volunteered that he be disqualified…” Mismong si Einstein ang nagvolunteer ma-disqualify even before pa nakapag-issue ng statement ang media G8way, at hindi “disqualify lang nila (Media G8way) because of some certain reasons…” like what you said. Gets?
“…And now still PWA didnt post the scoresheets…”
-Ano ba sa palagay mo sa web awards? Reality show tulad ng Pinoy Big Brother or Starstruck na nire-reveal ang score sheet for a more dramatic effect? Anyone with half a brain would know that some serious legal matters are being laid out behind all the marketing blah these awards go through. And along those “legal matters” is the confidentiality agreement with the auditors, lalo na’t top brass ang Araullo & Punongbayan.
reality check
8:08 am Fri Dec 7 2007
@kian di ka pala kasali (di daw kasali e tatlo entry lolz) e wag ka na makialam tsismoso wahehehe cguro ubos pera mo sa people’s choice kawawa ka naman di ka sinuportahan huhuhuhuh
tangapin nio nalang kung talo at sa mga panalo wag mayabang!
8:08 am Fri Dec 7 2007
ay t@ng* pala eh.. sa PBB ka sumali kian.. wag ka na umepal kung d ka pala sumasali d2 eh.. sumali ka muna para nmn hindi ka nakikisali sa usapan d2.. kian magaling ka pala eh di sumali ka para malamn natin kung magaling ka tlga! yan challenge n yan sau! puro ka angas!!!
butsoy
1:01 pm Fri Dec 7 2007
mga unggoy hehe
don2x
10:10 pm Fri Dec 7 2007
congrats to all the winners…!!!!! hehehehe… absent ko sa awarding oi…sayang wala koi pic sa wall of fame..ahrharharharharharha……
chito
2:02 am Sun Dec 9 2007
e ano ngayon…
PopPunk
1:01 am Tue Dec 11 2007
Flamers, flamers.
Anyway, up to now, wala pa din List of Winners for the text votes. No DTI Permit for the promo. What else can you say about Media G8Way?
The Scoresheet is not for DRAMATIC effect lang. that’s a stupid comment. It should be there pag may competition. Hindi nga dapat confidential yun eh kasi yun ang basis ng awards.
I joined the competition and lost. but no biggie. What disappoints me much is the fact that even if I won the competition, wala din kwenta kasi SOBRANG WALANG KWENTA NG MEDIA G8WAY. Useless trophy, useless prize money (10,000 pesos is ueless kung ganyang awarding lang. Wala pa sa kalingkingan ng isang project ng web-designer yan kaya wag kayo magmalaki). Wala man lang nasagot na issue. Abot tenga at mata na ata yung nakuha nyo na money kaya hindi nyo na pinapansin yung reklamo EVEN BEFORE THE AWARDS NIGHT.
Ni-hindi nga mentioned kung sino yung Designer, or Developer ng winning website. How can you be proud of that! As if naman si ChinaBank talaga gumawa ng website nila, or si Daniel Razon, or kung sinu man. They should give proper credit dun sa developer and lesser sa Company owning the website kung hindi naman sila ang gumawa. I can even pretend that I am the one who designed the winning UNTV website and still nobody would contest, kasi wala naman nakalagay kung sino yung gumawa talaga. Actually, I designed the PWA website. Galing ko no?
I can’t believe GMA still joins the competition yearly. Sila na lang reason bakit ako napasali sa dito eh kasi they made the event look “credible”. I’m really wishing Media G8way and all the people behind that forsaken company get what they really deserve, ten-folds.
Media G8way, you suck.
wateva
11:11 pm Tue Dec 11 2007
PhP 10,000 po ang prize? how bout ung blog and personal category with only 250 entrance fee, how much po ang prize? and ung people’s choice po ba may award din?
krm
12:12 am Thu Dec 13 2007
the personal category has a 10 grand cash prize but for the people’s choice there’s no cash prize as far as i know.
Cedric
5:05 pm Thu Dec 27 2007
This is really a sad news for the the whole Philippine Web Industry. Another variation of Take it, take it syndrome.
imsostupid
12:12 pm Fri Dec 28 2007
Hi!
Allow me to answer on behalf of NCC.
In previous years of the eLGU web contest, we identified our own judges in
coordination with our other partner, the Asian Institute of Journalism and
Communication. We also followed our own set of criteria in evaluating the
LGU entries.
This year, however, because the eLGU awards was already integrated with
the PWA, judges for the eLGU category were picked by the PWA committee,
the same guidelines were adopted, and the same set of criteria was used in
judging the entries in the eLGU category as with the rest of the
categories in the PWA. NCC did not provide inputs to the criteria.
You have a point though -– it being the “eLGU” category, we should have
included a criterion on the e-governance values and
citizen-centricity of the LGU sites.
But since the 10th PWA is already over and done with, we respect the
decision of the judges and likewise support all the winners in the eLGU
category.
Meanwhile, we thank you very much for bringing the matter to our
attention. Rest assured that we will keep in mind the points you raised
when we draft our action plans for 2008.
A blessed Christmas and prosperous 2008 to all!
Cuchie Echeverria
National Computer Center – Field Operations Office
<<<TOOOO LATE…so disappointing…!!!
PWA sucks
3:03 pm Thu Jan 3 2008
Technograph will be the next best Blog…
jeck
7:07 am Fri Jan 4 2008
lol pakana na naman to ng gumawa ng site juggling things up. tama na di naman sisikat tong blog na to lolz…
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