Plagiarism and Rybka

[Philippe]

Fernando Arrabal ?

[Enir]

Fernando Arrabal ?

Fernando Arrabal loves chess, but he didn't write this. The sarcastic style might suit "Charles Springs" better.

Enrique

[Enir]

Enrique,
That was wonderfully and artfully stated.
Please thank the author for me.

Kind regards from exile,
Ronaldo

Hi Ron,

I did. He's pleased you appreciated.

Enrique

[tiger]

I have permission to translate into English (my spanglish, apologies) and post the email I received from a world name novelist who is also a chess and computer-chess lover. He prefers to stay anonymous for the time being. Here it is:

I find it fascinating to realize how interdisciplinary studies can shed light over fields apparently unrelated.

There is perhaps nothing like literature to find about the unbearable lightness of plagiarism.

Dante became famous in his times for the opening clause of his Commedia: “Nel mezzo del cammin” (In the middle of the journey). It was the exact beginning of a letter addressed to the Pope by Thomas of Aquino, describing his travels through Lombardy. When the Commedia appeared some 50 years later, inquisitors (then called “enanos”, dwarfs) from the Saint Office prosecuted Dante for “unholy word robbing”, and rightly so, I may add. The Commedia being the highest form of poetry ever written did not condone the inadmissible appropriation of a full half sentence of Thomas of Aquino. Copyright didn’t yet exist, but the Saint Inquisition filled the gap and the infamous plagiarist had to flee from his beloved Florence and died in the cold solitude of his exile in Ravenna.

Cervantes himself is another rewarding case of the triumph of justice over intellectual misappropriation. The famous “a mí, Sabino, que los arrollo” of the great Count Alfredo Distéfano was literally copied in Cervantes’ early work “La soledad del arquero ante la pena máxima”. Inquisitors were once again up to the task of “morality over all” (famous precedent of the German “über alles”) and prosecuted that thief of words, who had to join the Foreign Legion, losing his left arm as a consequence. Crime pays.

Being an English speaking forum, CCC members will be, of course, familiar with Shakespeare’s appropriation of "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”, sentence that originally belongs in the official account of Lord James Stewart, then ambassador of England in the court of Denmark. Ever since, the authorship of Shakespeare’s works has been disputed. “Fool me once…”

The analogy with the Rybka-Fruit case may be engrossing for all of us. It does not matter that Rybka is a unique phenomena in the history of computer chess, if it is finally proven that it contains indeed a copied line of the UCI protocol of Fruit. Fortunately, in our times we have civil prosecutors instead of inquisitors, but the morals are nonetheless identical now as in the old times: regardless of the greatness of Dante, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Rybka, crime pays.

Relieved and reassured for living amongst watchers of high morality,
X

A very finely written piece of art to the glory of copyright violations.

We desperately needed something like that.

Don't read the license! Who cares? Listen to the poets instead.



// Christophe

[bob]

Actually I was wondering about the same thing. I hope that plagiarism is not seen as "the way to get things done."

[Terry McCracken]

Actually I was wondering about the same thing. I hope that plagiarism is not seen as "the way to get things done."

Sounds like you had plagiaristic thoughts, wondering about the same thing?

Ok, humour off. I hope this isn't the case?

[Rolf]

I have permission to translate into English (my spanglish, apologies) and post the email I received from a world name novelist who is also a chess and computer-chess lover. He prefers to stay anonymous for the time being. Here it is:

I find it fascinating to realize how interdisciplinary studies can shed light over fields apparently unrelated.

There is perhaps nothing like literature to find about the unbearable lightness of plagiarism.

Dante became famous in his times for the opening clause of his Commedia: “Nel mezzo del cammin” (In the middle of the journey). It was the exact beginning of a letter addressed to the Pope by Thomas of Aquino, describing his travels through Lombardy. When the Commedia appeared some 50 years later, inquisitors (then called “enanos”, dwarfs) from the Saint Office prosecuted Dante for “unholy word robbing”, and rightly so, I may add. The Commedia being the highest form of poetry ever written did not condone the inadmissible appropriation of a full half sentence of Thomas of Aquino. Copyright didn’t yet exist, but the Saint Inquisition filled the gap and the infamous plagiarist had to flee from his beloved Florence and died in the cold solitude of his exile in Ravenna.

Cervantes himself is another rewarding case of the triumph of justice over intellectual misappropriation. The famous “a mí, Sabino, que los arrollo” of the great Count Alfredo Distéfano was literally copied in Cervantes’ early work “La soledad del arquero ante la pena máxima”. Inquisitors were once again up to the task of “morality over all” (famous precedent of the German “über alles”) and prosecuted that thief of words, who had to join the Foreign Legion, losing his left arm as a consequence. Crime pays.

Being an English speaking forum, CCC members will be, of course, familiar with Shakespeare’s appropriation of "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”, sentence that originally belongs in the official account of Lord James Stewart, then ambassador of England in the court of Denmark. Ever since, the authorship of Shakespeare’s works has been disputed. “Fool me once…”

The analogy with the Rybka-Fruit case may be engrossing for all of us. It does not matter that Rybka is a unique phenomena in the history of computer chess, if it is finally proven that it contains indeed a copied line of the UCI protocol of Fruit. Fortunately, in our times we have civil prosecutors instead of inquisitors, but the morals are nonetheless identical now as in the old times: regardless of the greatness of Dante, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Rybka, crime pays.

Relieved and reassured for living amongst watchers of high morality,
X

A very finely written piece of art to the glory of copyright violations.

We desperately needed something like that.

Don't read the license! Who cares? Listen to the poets instead.

// Christophe

Actually we dont need your license if *we* understood the easy text above!!! I respect the 24+ hours it took some to make clear the situation. <g>

[tiger]

Actually I was wondering about the same thing. I hope that plagiarism is not seen as "the way to get things done."

Not exactly.

If you are Norman and do not improve enough the strength of the engine, you get caught.

But if you are able to improve enough, you are not guilty anymore.

That is the new standard. Copyright is such "has been"! Intelligent plagiarism is the new "must".



// Christophe

[ozziejoe]

>>>But if you are able to improve enough, you are not guilty anymore.

>>>That is the new standard. Copyright is such "has been"! Intelligent >>>plagiarism is the new "must".


This email is clearly (though implictely) refering to rybka. Have a missed something? Has Vas been found to have plagerized? Please refer me to the link that reviews the evidence.

Or perhaps , christophe, you are refering to a different engine when you say "If you are able to improve enough, you are not guilty anymore." Could you please clarify the evidence upon which this statement is based?

best
J

[Dann Corbit]

>>>But if you are able to improve enough, you are not guilty anymore.

>>>That is the new standard. Copyright is such "has been"! Intelligent >>>plagiarism is the new "must".


This email is clearly (though implictely) refering to rybka. Have a missed something? Has Vas been found to have plagerized? Please refer me to the link that reviews the evidence.

Because Vas gave credit to Fabian (and others -- including Christophe) Plagiarism simply cannot apply -- though other misdeeds are still possible of course. Plagiarism involved pretending to be the inventor of something. There are clearly ideas in Rybka that came from Fruit, but Vas gave credit to Fabian so plagiarism is right out.

Or perhaps , christophe, you are refering to a different engine when you say "If you are able to improve enough, you are not guilty anymore." Could you please clarify the evidence upon which this statement is based?

best
J

Perhaps he was referring to the fact that you can patent an improvement to an existing patented algorithm and that new patent definitely belongs to you.