When Monica Gaudio noticed that the online Magazine, Cooks Source, copied one of her articles from her website and published it without her permission, she asked for an apology and a $130 donation to the Columbia Journalism School. The magazine editor, Judith Griggs, explained that "the web is considered 'public domain' and you should be happy we just didn't 'lift' your whole article and put someone else's name on it!"
http://gawker.com/5681770/magazine-editor-steals-article-tells-writer-you-should-compensate-me
http://www.fastcompany.com/1700763/3-steps-to-avoid-being-the-next-cooks-source
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/11/05/131091599/the-day-the-internet-threw-a-righteous-hissyfit-about-copyright-and-pie?ps=cprs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooks_Source_infringement_controversy

Via
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/newsletter/12-02-10.htm