The Oxford English Reference Dictionary says that to plagiarize is to “take and use (the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc. of another person) as one’s own” (1107), which seems clear until one comes to the idea of pictures, graphics, paintings, collages, and the like. Nowhere in the definition does the dictionary mention images, but it’s obvious that if one were to attempt to claim Ansel Adams’ photography as one’s own, one might find herself in a court of law.

So, while we accept that some images are the creator’s property, and to copy them would be an act of plagiarism, or copyright, how do we define this new world of remediation in which television, video games, and movies are constantly remediating ideas and images? Are some images endowed with more meaning than others, just as the West has endowed writing with a deeper meaning than imagery? Will the answers be decided in a court of law, or will an unwritten agreement be acknowledged, that certain powerful companies, like Disney and Time Warner, may loot what they like, while others must obediently follow the rules?