The content of the article is inconsistent with what is explained by other sources, and, from a quick search, the author seems to be politically involved on the subject.

The law was introduced in 1930, during the Fascist era. The Italian Constitutional Court declared the law on “plagio” unconstitutional in 1981, as it found the law to be imprecise, resulting in a hard to measure definition of the crime of “plagio”, lacking coherence, and hence liable of arbitrary application by courts. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagio

More detailed explanation here [in Italian]: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagio_(ordinamento_penale_ita... Apparently, there are similar laws about “mind manipulation” (brainwashing) in France, Spain, and Belgium.