Quoting Matthew Smillie <M.B.Smillie / sms.ed.ac.uk>:

> Ah, but what about when popular, marketing-savvy Ms Q
> "popularises" something legitimately claimed by quiet,
> introverted, and previously unknown Mr Z?  The community, being
> predisposed to liking Ms Q, probably wouldn't be fussed, and it's
> likely just as many people will think that Ms Q invented it as
> will stand up for Mr Z, given the lack of perfect information.
> As the 'community' becomes larger, this information gap grows,
> making it easier for people to take advantage of.

There's also the situation where Mr. X and Mr. Y both independantly
come up with something at about the same time, both publicise it,
and each attract their own communities.

Then one day the two communities discover one another, and
recriminations and headaches for everyone ensue.  Again, the issue
is partly an information gap.

Neither one of these two scenarios is hypothetical; this stuff
happens.

-mental