Following the goings on in Pakistan at the start of the week I tweeted on Monday night, 2nd May a gag that went thusly - "Coincidentally, an anagram of Osama Bin Laden is "Lob da man in sea". It got retweeted by a few people the same evening, each acknowledging me as the author and I thought no more about it. It was nice that it made some people laugh. Imagine my surprise however when I discovered that it has since been repeated word for word thousands of times since without any writer's credit and turned up on Russell Howard's Good News show last night!

Now, I am not saying that no one else could have thought of that anagram, but what I am saying is, and here's the proof, (a Google timeline to that exact phrase) that the first online use anywhere in the world of the exact phrase - Coincidentally, an anagram of Osama Bin Laden is "Lob da man in sea"- came from me last Monday at 19.04pm -> http://lpr.st/m2aSrN - If you click the 'now' link top right you can see it is still being tweeted even as I type and has been repeated thousand upon thousand of times without credit to the originator, me.

It's no biggie, but what it does demonstrate is that anything you put on twitter is game for being plagiarised - it might even end up being used on TV like this gag was. I remember the furore over Cheggers being accused of nicking jokes and I thoughtto myself if a famous comedian had written that tweet of mine they'd no doubt me making noise about it. Me, I guess I just have to be satisfied with the fact that it has been used by 1000s around the world.

There's no proof that anyone involved in the show read and copied it rather than came up with it themselves. People come up with the same jokes.

To be honest, a credit would have done. As I say, the first few people reproduced the line on Twitter using my name before it as the source, but then it went mad, with people using the exact same phraseology but not crediting me as the author. It may sound like sour grapes - it's not. It's merely a lesson learned big time about a gag can be pinched online and palmed off as someone else's work.

Maybe it was nicked, maybe it wasn't. You post jokes on Twitter, you run that risk. You also run the risk of getting cred and maybe even some paid work.

Why, are you after some gags David?

Quote: Aldeem @ May 6 2011, 1:56 PM BST

Why, are you after some gags David?

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I bid £1 for your best joke about shopping trolleys with wonky wheels.

I not sure you can claim an anagram as your own. You can't copyright an anagram. If you could Countdown would be Channel 4's most profitable show.

What do you call a shopping trolley with wonky wheels?

A Skoda.

Actually Skodas are supposed to be quite good these days.

The trolley was a lot like a drunk, fifty year old prostitute; sure, it could take a big load, but it kept smacking into the wall.

There's a reason I don't write gags.

Quote: Ian Wolf @ May 6 2011, 1:58 PM BST

I not sure you can claim an anagram as your own. You can't copyright an anagram. If you could Countdown would be Channel 4's most profitable show.

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Not ana angram,no,I agree. But a whole phrase cut and paasted verbatim? Search this phrase on Google or Twitter....

Coincidentally, an anagram of Osama Bin Laden is "Lob da man in sea".

It's my original tweet from May 2nd, word for word and it appears thousands of time written exactly the same. As I say,not the end of the world but probably the most time I will ever get quoted without credit.

Quote: Aldeem @ May 6 2011, 1:27 PM BST

turned up on Russell Howard's Good News show last night!

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I think you should take this to court, you'd have a great chance of winning. The young Russell comic wouldn't bear up well under cross-examination, as blinking is a cardinal sign of dishonesty to a jury.

threatening letters first written in blood, sweat and tears I think

...plus, getting material on Russell's Howard's show is best kept quiet isn't it?

Precisely. Ask Russell Howard to look you in the eyes and tell you he didn't steal it. Greasy little fecker wouldn't be able to.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ May 6 2011, 1:48 PM BST

People come up with the same jokes.

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Very true. For example, Susan Nickson and Tim Dawson: between them they've come up with same three jokes for every episode of sitcom they've ever written.