The Wholesale Plagiarism of Obscure Sorrows
waxy.org
June 20, 2026
9 min read
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62/100
Summary
A new website for The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows features a polished design with an author biography, press mentions, and links to purchase the book. The site also includes the entire text of the book without authorization.
Key Takeaways
- A new website for The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows has launched, featuring the complete text of the book and AI-generated images, but lacks original illustrations by John Koenig.
- The new site operates under a different domain than the original Tumblr page, raising questions about its authenticity.
- John Koenig's project, which began in 2009, aims to create a dictionary of made-up words for emotions, with the term "sonder" being its most recognized entry.
- The new website encourages users to generate their own words using AI, which contradicts the project's original mission to express human emotions.
Community Sentiment
Positives
- The discussion highlights the need for stronger protections against IP theft, especially as AI tools make it easier to infringe on copyrights.
- There is a growing awareness of the implications of AI in intellectual property, which could lead to more robust legal frameworks in the future.
Concerns
- The current DMCA process is ineffective for protecting creators, as evidenced by the lack of action from Google and Apple despite clear evidence of infringement.
- AI is increasingly being viewed as a tool for theft, raising ethical concerns about its role in content creation and copyright violations.
- The cost barrier for enforcing copyright is becoming prohibitively high, while the ease of infringement is drastically decreasing, creating a troubling imbalance.
