--- title: "Lessons From Melania Trump’s Plagiarism Mistake" id: "34229" type: "post" slug: "lessons-from-melania-trumps-plagiarism-mistake" published_at: "2016-07-22T20:31:16+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T17:02:43+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/07/22/lessons-from-melania-trumps-plagiarism-mistake/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/07/22/lessons-from-melania-trumps-plagiarism-mistake.md" excerpt: "Turn Melania Trump's learning moment into your own: There are a few simple steps associations can take to ensure their speakers and presenters avoid accidentally, or otherwise, engaging in intellectual property theft." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "conferences" - "Meetings" - "plagiarism" - "presenters" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Lessons From Melania Trump’s Plagiarism Mistake Plagiarism rocketed into the limelight this week after a [Trump Organization staff writer (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/us/politics/melania-trump-speech-meredith-mciver.html) admitted that [several lines of Melania Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/us/politics/melania-trump-convention-speech.html?_r=0) were taken from a similar address Michelle Obama gave in 2008. Given the thousands of speakers that associations host each year, how worried should they be about these presenters engaging in intellectual property theft? Not too worried—if they take a few simple steps, said David Lutz, managing director of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, a firm that helps groups improve their meetings and conferences. His main recommendation is drafting a set of guidelines to be signed off on by the speaker ahead of time. This document should lay out the expectation that all material used during a presentation be original or properly cited, Lutz said. Vetting your presenters ahead of time also is important. “I think you choose smartly, and you have a good discussion, and you have the confidence that they’re doing everything they can to prepare properly,” Lutz said. After all, double-checking a presenter’s work ahead of a meeting can seriously tax an organization’s resources—especially given the size and scope of some conferences, he said. Those resources could be better spent furthering a group’s mission. Lutz said where association staff might want to be more careful is with industry presenters. Experienced speakers generally know the rules around proper attribution, but a presenter [without that background](http://associationsnow.com/2016/06/first-time-speakers-how-to-better-prepare-them/) may be less aware of potential pitfalls. “An industry presenter is going to be less knowledgeable about what is intellectual property and what isn’t. And intellectual property is very important,” he said. “You never want to share it as your own.” Even then, Lutz recommends just working more closely with the individual. Bottom line, though, an association should be extending invitations to present only to a person it trusts not to misattribute, steal, or plagiarize. “I really believe that you’re probably—from a business standpoint—in bad shape if you’ve got to take the time to [check for intellectual theft] and are so worried about it and less trusting of your speakers,” Lutz said. (Mike Segar/Reuters) [Derrick Perkins](https://associationsnow.com/author/derrick-perkins/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/derrick-perkins/) Tags: [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#plagiarism](https://associationsnow.com/tag/plagiarism/) [#presenters](https://associationsnow.com/tag/presenters/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoAshley Cobb Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/ashley-cobb-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoJenny Teeson, CHSE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/jenny-teeson-chse-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoLakisha Woods, CAE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/lakisha-woods-cae-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoKevin Hesser Shares His Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/kevin-hesser-shares-his-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F07%2F22%2Flessons-from-melania-trumps-plagiarism-mistake%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !