As a journalist and punk rocker, it’s probably no surprise that I am a fan of the Little Guy, especially the Little Guy Who Takes a Stand.

It’s not always easy to stand up for what you believe is right in the face of large, powerful opponents, but it’s often the best way to draw attention to an issue and sometimes even make a difference.

In Renton, one local company recently made a major difference in their corner of the world by taking a stand for what they believed was right and just, even in the face of huge corporate opposition.

And they won.

Let’s back up a bit though. Earlier this year, a major plagiarism scandal broke out in gaming and puzzling world. Back in March, the statistical analysis website fivethirtyeight.com published an analysis of thousands of USA Today crossword puzzles that showed that over the past 16 years or so, hundreds of puzzles that appeared in that paper were actual re-prints of crossword puzzles designed by other people.

They repeated themes, answers, grids and clues from other puzzles, including some from the New York Times. Nearly all of the replication was found to be edited by Tony Parker for the USA Today and syndicated Universal Crossword. The copyright to both of those puzzle outlets is Universal Uclick and the Universal Crossword is syndicated into hundreds of papers around the country.

Parker claimed it was a “mere coincidence” that his puzzles seem to match those created by other people.

Constructing a good crossword puzzle is not easy. In fact, in many ways it is more art than science. One must determine a theme that creates the longest answers in the puzzle — usually the ones that fill the frame ­­— as well as the overall grid pattern, clues and fill-in answers.

Now, it is not unusual for clues and answers to repeat. Even themes get repeated for that matter.

But the analysis found that 1,090 Universal and 447 USA Today puzzles were at least a 75 match to an earlier puzzle in the database. That’s pretty rare.

Fivethirtyeight even included an image showing where all but four words in an entire 15 x 15 square puzzle published in 2011 were EXACTLY the same as a 2004 puzzle.

The whole situation blew up with the hashtag “gridgate.”

But Parker was not fired, just put on leave by USA Today and Universal Uclick. Then, even after admitting Parker had stolen the work of other people, Uclick said he would be back after a three-month suspension. USA Today had not weighed in, but Parker remained on staff.

That was enough for a small local game and puzzle company with a big national reputation to take a stand and on May 4, Renton’s Lone Shark Games announced a boycott of both the USA Today and Universal Uclick.

“The sanctity of originality in games and puzzles is a cornerstone of our business,” read a post on the company’s Tumblr page. “All we have is our ideas, and without control of them we wither and die. But USA Today and Universal Uclick, two important providers of puzzles to the world, have abandoned all pretense that originality and credit for content is important to them. So we’re abandoning them.”

I agree. Plagiarism is plagiarism. And artists of all varieties should have their work protected, be they writers, musicians or puzzlemakers.

It’s interesting to note that Lone Shark admits they need USA Today probably more than the paper needs them but did what it thought was right and just.

“We could really use USA Today’s coverage. But if we do anything interesting enough that they want to talk to us, we won’t answer the phone,” said the post.

Now, full disclosure here: We at the Renton Reporter do not get our crossword puzzle from Universal Uclick. We use a different syndicated service.

But also in the full disclosure mode, I should mention that the folks who run Lone Shark – Mike Selinker and Evon Furst – are friends of mine (which is why I know this story) and both my wife and I have done work for the company.

But the boycott worked. Just a week later, on May 9, Parker was no longer the crossword puzzle editor at the USA Today and neither the paper nor any other publication owned by the company (Gannett), will run a Parker-edited puzzle.

It went down like this: On May 8, Forbes magazine published a story about the boycott and the letter, which urged others to “stand with the puzzlemakers,” causing the “gridgate” hashtag to once again climb the Twitter charts.

That prompted a six-time American Crossword Puzzle Tournament Champion (Right? Who knew?) named Dan Feyer to write to USA Today expressing his support for the boycott and his hope that Parker would not return. Feyer specifically cited the open letter and call for boycott from Selinker and Lone Shark Games.

That was all it took. The Little Guy had won. The tiny puzzle company from Renton made enough noise to rattle the folks at Gannett and USA Today.

I think there’s a lesson here: No one is too small to make a difference. And even when it threatened their business interests, Lone Shark did what it thought was right – principle over profit potential – and in the end it probably paid off as the company’s profile was certainly heightened in the whole deal.

I love that. It appeals to the young, power-smashing punk rocker still living deep in the cockles of my heart.

So remember Renton: you have the power to change the world. No matter how Little a Guy (or Gal) you might be.