(no subject)

[erastes]

Copyright theft of E-books. Make sure yours isn't being stolen.

Picked up from Manloveromance Group - thank you, J M Snyder.

http://community.livejournal.com/iheartpages

They are posting published ebooks for free. I have not checked the archives, as I'm not a member and can't access LJ at work, but check this post

http://veinglory.8.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=4797&highlight=

for full information.

I note that there are one or two of my flist who are members.

I have emailed LJ who have said that as the site links to an external site (Box.net) they are unable to do anything which is bullshit, as then, that means I can start a community linking pictures of kiddie porn, does it???

I've also mailed Box.net and the moderators of Iheart.

Please pass this along and make sure your publisher issues them with a C&D - I am told that Torquere already have.

Comments

[willa-writes.livejournal.com]

Changeling Press is taking similar action.

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the heads up! I've requested to join so I can see whether any of my Torquere stuff is in there, but hopefully they'll be shut down soon anyway.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

We can hope, but it doesn't sound likely. LJ has weasel policies re: policing locked entries. If you get in, can you tell me if there are any Linden Bay books in there?

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

No chance, I'm afraid - I've been declined. Wonder why, considering my LJ doesn't meet any of the criteria for rejection they list on their userinfo? Hmmm.

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

Have a look at my comment below. Just heard back from the mods.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

LiveJournal is pretty damned useless at policing its users. I had a go-round with them last year over a lying little slimeball who was slandering me on locked posts. What it came down to was that I'd need a court order to get into her LJ, and it wasn't worth the powder.

However, if enough publisher were to start hitting LJ with lawyers' letters and one of them did get a court order... that might be sufficient.

That "but they don't see anything morally wrooong" attitude irritates the hell out of me. The whole point of fanfic is that it does no harm to TV and films, and provides a lot of publicity. It isn't the same thing as pirating the original work.

This kind of BS is the one enormous argument against e-books.

[galadhir.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's low! If anyone wants someone who *isn't* an author to join the group and get links, so that action can be taken, I'm willing to do it. (If people with LJ names which match author's names are being rejected.)

[eroticjames.livejournal.com]

Well and they are apparently now deleted.

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

Just got this back from the mod in response to my query as to why my membership was rejected:

Hello!

Earlier today, we received three "cease and desist" emails in regards to specific content at IHP. Although the moderators are fully aware that these emails do not qualify as actual cease and desist letters, we decided that it would be in our best interest to shut down the community entirely.

I'm sorry that you won't get to try out some of the really great books, but I really don't want my members to get into any legal trouble. Rest assured, everyone was rejected today, regardless.

Have a good day!

THEMODSQUAD.

Well, it is a good day now. :)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Good that they've deleted the comm, but I'd sure they'll spring up again somewhere else. They've still got servers stuffed with stolen books. I hope that www.box.net makes them take them down.

I can't beleive she had the bloody cheek to say "I'm sorry you wont get to try out the really great books" bloody thief!!

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

It's the fanfic mindset. Fanfic is free, so all fic should be free.

Because... the payoff is attention. And if they can get all the thanks for something that they only put in time to steal... why not?

It's kind of pathetic. Yeah, I've been broke--but there are libraries, and book exchanges, and reviewing--there are ways to get books without money. It does require some work, though.

I expect the C&D's went to box.net, too. Hopefully they'll refuse to set up new sites for dealing in the same stolen property.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

it's really a sad thing. I spent a lot in ebooks, but it's my choice and I'm very aware that, if I don't do that, I will have less choice and less good books, cause the epublishers will not release good books cause they don't profit. It's a chain. It's the first reason cause I prefer a print book, it's mine and I have no worries that someone stole it from me. It's why I take my ebooks in a UBS key or in my local. And it's why, when my hard disk crashed one year ago I lost a lot of ebooks and I have to re-buy some of them (principally all from Torquere, Liquid Silver and Samhain, cause Loose Id has a forever downloaded and Changeling and Ellora's Cave reactivate my download link when I ask it).

[shenya.livejournal.com]

Another good thing about print books is you can lend them to friends (and get them hooked) without having to worry about the legality of it :P

[erastes.livejournal.com]

too right. it doesn't say "thou shall not lend"

And very often, if someone lends me a book and i love it, I end up buying it too.

[bitterbyrden.livejournal.com]

In googling to find out why one of my favorite places to sample new comic books was gone, I found your entry. As a writer and editor (and someone within the music industry), I sympathize and can appreciate much of what you've said here. I wanted to link you to something that altered my perception of filesharing literature. Please don't come after me for piracy, as 1) I'm a buyer, not a stealer, and 2) I'm coming to you like Switzerland.

Anyway, check this out. Ugly webpage, but really interesting treatise on filesharing e-books and/or lit:

http://baen.com/library/

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I think that's an entirely different case - that's authors offering free books, voluntarily to their readers. I plan to do the same, one of these days, I already have a couple of free short stories on my website. It's good business sense and most of my peers do it to some extent or other.

I simply don't have the material available to give away an entire free book as yet.

It can't be piracy or theft, because the authors are participating. No one's rights are being stolen, no-one royalties are being lost. It's a nice idea, too.

By the way, i THINK the laws on libraries have changed here now, and I believe that the author gets a tiny royalty every time the book is checked out. I kind of remember sometihng on the news a year or so ago but didn't pay attention...

typical!

J K Rowling might not care if she loses the royalties of a few hundred or even a few thousand copies of a book, but if I knew it was happening to me, I'd be hurtin'. I'm trying to make money at this, and I'd like to.