This has been covered time and again, but obviously it still hasn't been noted by some members, so I'll have a try and see if I can get the message across in a simple and effective manner.
I once argued that when someone notices a copyright breach on Minti, 
that it might be better to just contact the author of the advice and tell them to site their source correctly, rather than report it immediately. Then it was explained to me that it doesn't work. The reason is simple: Legalities.
Copyright breach is a legality that is taken extremely seriously and ruthlessly by the corporate and legal world, and one little violation - even an unintentional one - could cause the permanent shut down of Minti for the slightest breach, even if it was only publically viewable for a few minutes. That is why there are so many cautions about it in the Terms and Conditions, Code of Honour, and in the blurb above the text box every time you click on "Write Advice", as well as having been written about in various advice, etc. That is why advice, comments, etc; that has been reported vanishes into a void.
Reported advice doesn't get automatically deleted never to return. It goes to a place that is out of view of the public eye, where it can be viewed and voted on by those with the authority to do so. Given time, one of two things will happen: it will be released for public view, or it won't. If a piece of advice you wrote is reported for any reason, it doesn't take much to get in contact with the Admin and ask them what is going on.
It is important that such breaches in an advice be reported immediately and have the advice vanish from public view until the issue is resolved. Taking the time to contact the author privately instead, allows time for someone outside of Minti to see it, someone who will sue for breach of copyright and have the site shut down. By the time the member has logged on again, received the message and gotten a chance to do something about it, it could very well be too late. They might log on to find that Minti is inaccessible and in a legal battle with some money-hungry uptight and unforgiving person or corporation.
No member takes any pleasure what so ever in reporting advice for any reason - if they did, it wouldn't take long for someone to take on the unpleasant task of reporting the member doing this and behaving in such a spiteful disruptive manner. Many members do understand the need for the reporting system and will use it when necessary. That doesn't mean they enjoy doing it. So will I, and I hate doing it - but my emotions won't stop me. So yes, no matter how good a friend you are to me, no matter how certain I am that your breach was unintentional, I will still report it - and so will most other members that pay attention and support Minti in this way. If a member reports your advice for a copyright breach, or any other reason, do not take it personally. They are only doing it to protect the site, which thousands of people are benefitting from, including you.
I'm sure that many cases of copyright breach that happen on Minti are just pure forgetfullness and that the author would be willing to fix the problem as soon as it is pointed out to them. Most other members are very aware of this as well. But as I stated, we can't afford to wait for someone to fix this problem if we want Minti to continue to exist. I wish we could, I really do, but until the outside world can be as reasonable as most of the members on Minti are, then I'm sorry, the choices will remain limited and the rules will be adhered to.
This is why I will stress that it is extremely important to, when writing advice, save it as a draft first. Come back to it later with a fresh mind, have a look at it and see if there is anything that you missed - particularly with regards to siting other sources. Read the blurb at the top of the page. It may trigger a memory of something you had forgotten about, or inspire you to fix up something you neglected or didn't notice. Draft everything! Drafts are good. Drafts are your friend and they can keep you out of a lot of trouble - and keep your advice out of the void.
I hope this clears up any personal issues that people have about the whole purpose of the reporting system and why copyright seems like such an issue for some people. Happy writing, have patience, and don't forget to DRAFT IT - the more you do it the better it gets!
