Quote from: bill gator on Today at 01:03:44 PM

So, if Ratimov (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=2627711) is being given negative trust for plagiarizing when they aren't actually plagiarizing then we as a community should take action to remove those users wrongfully leaving him trust.

I'm not wholly in agreement with that statement. As I've said before, he hasn't technically plagiarized, at least not by the standards of the forum's rules. But I also said:

Quote from: DireWolfM14 on Today at 11:08:03 AM

Is that deceit intentional?... It takes little to no effort to make it abundantly clear that you're quoting the work of others
~

Could it be possible that Ratimov has found a way to flaunt the forum's rules, and deceive it's users into rewarding him with merit and lucrative employment? All it takes is one click of a button to use the forum's quote feature, making it abundantly clear this work is not originally yours. By all appearances, Ratimov seems to have benefited by not clicking that button. If some strongly feel he has done this deliberately, then I think that comes pretty darn close to the intent of plagiarism, even if it isn't technically plagiarism. In such a situation, I think people are well within their rights to leave negative feedback, and that's not a misuse of the system. In fact, I believe that's exactly what the system is for. Myself, I have not come to that conclusion, but I can see how some could arrive there.

On the other hand, retaliatory feedback with no references, little substance, and lots of name-calling and subservient canines is a misuse of the system. It certainly has no place on DT1.

Quote from: The Pharmacist on Today at 04:46:47 PM

he didn't actually plagiarize anything--hence he wasn't banned... mods aren't likely to do anything.

I never expected the mods to do anything, nor do I think they should. The relative freedom we have in this forum is exceedingly rare, and I believe it's something to be celebrated. I tend to agree that the rules were not broken, and therefore the mods should stay out of it.

But I also believe that the situation is not so simply "black or white," and that's where the trust system come into play.