a form of violation of the rights of an author or inventor. It consists of the illegal use under one’s own name of another’s scientific, literary, or musical work, invention, or rationalization proposal, in full or in part, without recognition of the source from which the material was drawn. Under Soviet law, a plagiarist can be charged under either civil or criminal law, depending on the degree of the crime’s social danger.
Under civil law (as set forth in the Civil Code of the RSFSR, arts. 499 and 500), the author—and after his death, his heirs and other persons indicated by law—has the right to demand the restoration of his violated rights, for example, by announcements of the violation in the press. He also has the right to demand a ban on publication of the work or a ban on its distribution. In case of losses incurred, the author may demand restitution. Under criminal law (as set in the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, art. 141), plagiarism is punishable by deprivation of freedom for a period of up to one year or by a fine of up to 500 rubles.