Anti-Plagiarism Policy

1. Zero Tolerance for Plagiarism

Kalaloka ("Platform"), a product of DigiYogi, is built on the foundation of original Kannada-first creative writing. We have a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism. Every author on the Platform deserves to have their original work respected and protected.

Plagiarism undermines the creative community, violates the intellectual property rights of original authors, and is a violation of the Copyright Act, 1957. This policy applies to all content published on the Platform, including stories, poems, articles, quotes, and series.

2. What Constitutes Plagiarism

On this Platform, plagiarism includes but is not limited to:

• Direct Copying: Reproducing another person's work (or substantial portions of it) and presenting it as your own, whether from Kalaloka, other platforms, books, or any other source.
• Paraphrasing Without Attribution: Rewriting someone else's ideas, arguments, or narrative in your own words without giving credit to the original source.
• Translation Plagiarism: Translating another author's work from one language to another and presenting it as your own original work without permission or attribution.
• Self-Plagiarism (in competitive contexts): Submitting previously published work (your own or otherwise) as a new entry in a Platform competition without disclosure.
• AI-Generated Content Passed as Original: Publishing content generated entirely by AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) without disclosure, while claiming it as your original creative work.
• Mosaic Plagiarism: Combining phrases, sentences, or ideas from multiple sources to create content that appears original but is substantially derived from others' work.

3. What Is NOT Plagiarism

• Common Knowledge: Facts, widely known information, or ideas that are in the public domain do not require attribution.
• Your Own Original Work: Publishing your own original work on Kalaloka, even if you have published it elsewhere, is not plagiarism (it is permitted under our non-exclusive license).
• AI-Assisted Writing: Using AI tools as a writing aid (for grammar correction, suggestions, or brainstorming) while the core creative content is yours is acceptable.
• Properly Attributed Quotations: Quoting another work with proper attribution and within fair dealing limits is acceptable (see Section 6).

4. How We Detect Plagiarism

4.1 AI-Based Detection

• The Platform employs AI-powered content analysis tools that compare newly published content against existing content in our database.
• Our content quality scoring system includes similarity checks that flag potentially plagiarized content for manual review.
• Content that scores above a certain similarity threshold is held for review before publication or flagged post-publication.

4.2 Community Reporting

• Any user can report content they believe is plagiarized using the in-app report feature.
• When reporting plagiarism, please provide the original source (link, book title, author name) to help us investigate.
• All plagiarism reports are reviewed by our content moderation team.

4.3 Author Complaints

• If you are an original author and find your work plagiarized on this Platform, you may file a copyright complaint through our Copyright Policy.
• Copyright takedown requests are handled with priority under Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957 and Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000.

5. Consequences of Plagiarism

Consequences are applied progressively based on severity and frequency:

First Offense

• The plagiarized content is removed immediately.
• A written warning is issued to the author.
• The author's content quality score is affected.

Second Offense

• The content is removed.
• A 30-day suspension from publishing new content.
• Temporary removal from the Creator Monetization Program (if enrolled).
• Any earnings from the plagiarized content are forfeited.

Third Offense / Severe Cases

• Permanent account ban.
• Permanent removal from the Creator Monetization Program with forfeiture of all pending earnings.
• The original author (or copyright holder) may be informed for potential legal action under the Copyright Act, 1957.

Severe Cases (Immediate Ban)

The following result in immediate permanent ban without prior warning:

• Copying entire books, chapters, or published works from external sources.
• Systematic plagiarism across multiple pieces of content.
• Plagiarism of content from other Kalaloka authors.

6. Fair Use and Quotation Guidelines

Under Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957, certain uses of copyrighted material are considered "fair dealing" and are permitted. On this Platform:

• Short Quotations: You may quote short passages (up to 300 words or 10% of the original work, whichever is less) from published works for the purpose of criticism, review, or commentary, provided you clearly attribute the source.
• Attribution Format: Quotations should be clearly marked (using quotation marks or block quotes) and include the original author's name and the source title.
• Poetry: For poems, you may quote up to 4 lines with proper attribution.
• Classical and Public Domain Works: Works in the public domain (generally works where the copyright has expired, typically 60 years after the author's death under Indian law) may be freely quoted or adapted with attribution.
• Religious and Cultural Texts: Verses from religious texts, folk songs, and traditional literature may be quoted with appropriate source acknowledgment.

7. Fan Fiction Rules

• Permitted: Fan fiction based on works in the public domain is permitted and encouraged.
• Copyrighted Works: Fan fiction based on copyrighted works (movies, TV shows, books still under copyright) is published at the author's own risk. The Platform does not endorse or guarantee that such works will not be subject to copyright claims from the original rights holders.
• Disclosure: Fan fiction must be clearly labeled as fan fiction and must identify the original work it is based on.
• No Commercial Claims: Fan fiction authors cannot claim exclusive commercial rights to their fan fiction or use it for monetization of copyrighted characters/settings belonging to others.
• Takedown Compliance: If the original rights holder requests removal, the Platform will comply promptly.

8. Translation Rights

• Platform-Facilitated Translations: The Platform may create AI-powered translations of published content as part of the Content Licensing Agreement.
• User Translations: If you wish to translate another Kalaloka author's work, you must obtain written permission from the original author first. Include a clear credit: "Original by [Author Name], translated by [Your Name]."
• External Works: Translating copyrighted works from outside the Platform requires permission from the original copyright holder. Unauthorized translations will be treated as plagiarism.
• Public Domain Translations: Translating public domain works is permitted and encouraged, especially for classical Kannada literature. Proper source attribution is required.

9. Appeal Process

If you believe your content was incorrectly flagged or removed as plagiarism, you may appeal within 30 days of the action. See our Grievance Redressal Policy for the appeal process. Please provide evidence of your original authorship (drafts, timestamps, external publications) with your appeal.

10. Contact

For plagiarism reports, copyright concerns, or questions about this policy:

• Email: support@kalaloka.buzz
• Platform: Kalaloka (a product of DigiYogi)
• Address: Bangalore, Karnataka, India