In 2006 I wrote an article about Doble Steam Cars, and it's been a reliable audience favorite. Today I was made aware that the current Wikipedia page for Doble steam car has some striking similarities to my own writing. My article is not cited as a source in the Wikipedia article despite the obvious similarities.
Examples:
Mine:
It was comprised of parts taken from a wrecked White steamer, but reconfigured to drive an engine of their own design. Though it did not run well, the Doble brothers went on to build a second and third prototype in the following years [...] Their third prototype— nicknamed the Model B— led Abner to file a handful of patents for the related innovations, including a water-condensing system which allowed the water supply to last about 1,500 miles in contrast to a typical steamer’s 100 miles. The Model B design also protected the boiler’s internals from rust and scale by mixing the engine oil with the boiler water, thus resolving a common steam car nuisance.
Wikipedia:
It was based on components salvaged from a wrecked White Motor Company steamer, driving a new engine of the Doble brothers' own design. It did not run particularly well, but it inspired the brothers to build two more prototypes in the following years. [...] Their third prototype, the Model B, led Abner to file patents for the innovations incorporated in it which included a steam condenser which enabled the water supply to last for as much as 1,500 miles (2,400 km), instead of the typical steam car's 20–50 miles (30–80 km). The Model B also protected the interior of the boiler from the common steam vehicle nuisances of corrosion and scale by mixing engine oil with feedwater.
Mine:
Though the Doble boys’ prototype still lacked the convenience of an internal combustion engine, it drew the attention of automobile trade magazines due to its numerous improvements over previous steam cars. Aside from the slow startup time, the Model B proved to be superior to gasoline automobiles in many ways. Its high-pressure steam drove the engine pistons in virtual silence, in contrast to clattering gas engines which emitted the aroma of burned hydrocarbons. It also had no clutch or transmission, because the full energy of the stored steam pressure was available at all times. Perhaps most impressively, the Model B was amazingly swift. The prototype could accelerate from zero to sixty miles per hour in just fifteen seconds, a feat described as “remarkable acceleration” by Automobile magazine in 1914. The contemporary Model T from Ford took about forty seconds to reach its top speed of 40-50 miles per hour.
Wikipedia:
While the Model B did not possess the convenience of an internal combustion engined vehicle, it attracted the attention of contemporary automobile trade magazines with the improvements it displayed over previous steam cars. The Model B was virtually silent compared to contemporary gasoline engines. It also possessed no clutch or transmission, which were superfluous due to the substantial torque produced by steam engines from 0 rpm. The Model B could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in 15 seconds,[citation needed] whereas a Ford Model T of the period took 40 seconds to reach its top speed of 38 mph (61 km/h).
There are other similar passages, these are just examples.
Looking at the edit history, it looks like Wikipedia user Salmanazar overhauled the page way back in 2006, when my article was about 2 months old. This is where the slightly modified version of my text first appeared in the Wikipedia article.
Is there any recourse for this sort of blatant copying?
This page may be salient: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyright_problems
Thanks!
Do you want it taken down or recognition as the source?
I'd prefer that the wiki text be distinct from my own. This sort of thing leads people to assume/accuse plagiarism on my part, and it's demoralizing.
I'm not an expert, but my suggestion would be to sign up for an account, visit the talk page for that article, post there what you intend to do and why, include a link to your article, and then make the edits including your citation.
I don't think the victim of plagiarism editing the plagiarised text to be less similar to their own work is a very fair solution.
What I mean is more like quoting his exact text.
I didn't say anything about making it less similar.
u/DamnInteresting it looks like it's been taken care of https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Doble_steam_car&diff=1330198361&oldid=1327544365
Looks like it took only 54 minutes between reporting and solution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyright_problems#30_December_2025
Also: wow! I've never seen almost twenty years of edits get revdeleted before! That's an impressive graveyard (as it should be, it's just a remarkable sight).
297 edits! https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log/delete&page=Doble_steam_car
Indeed, that was swift. Odd to discover a nearly 20-year-old violation, and see it wiped away so quickly and completely. Wikipedia is a wonder.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/CopyPatrol
So go in and give yourself credit to your corresponding publication?
Or go in and remove it?
Add correct citing and edit the article text.
I know this is the default advice whenever someone has an issue with Wikipedia text, but I don't think the onus should be on me to rewrite my own work. The notion is about as appealing as a poke in the eye.
In this case, I would add a copyright infringement template to the article and make a corresponding note on the article's talk page.
nah, mate. copyvios are serious, and are dealt with severely.