I've been reading more than a few recent articles on plagiarism in advertising. In the business of creativity, it's always been a dark corner. There are cases that give pause and raise eyebrows, often in the end doing little for the credibility of either the accuser or the accused. There are also cases where what appears to be plagiarism is actually honest coincidence.

Blame it on the zeitgeist.

Many creative people claim that after allowing a problem to tumble around in the back of their head, an idea comes forward, as if snatched out of the air. If that's the case, the same thought can be 'snatched out of the air' by more than one person, or agency - even half way around the world. In this era of instant information, we're more likely to see a lot of people making the same connections and creating the same solutions at the same time.

'There's nothing new under the sun,' seems more true today than ever.

Check here and here for recent articles on the topic.

What are your thoughts on this?