Kbook: My new favourite rip-off "publisher"

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

I notice that someone has started writing reviews:

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eb...mber-at-chad-2
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eb...hlachtenmalers

Well done! I wonder if Kbooks will take any notice

[AlexBell]

A few minutes ago I went to the Kobo US website to see if any of the ebooks I have designed are there. I found Benigna Machiavelli by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - it has a very distinctive cover which I did.

The ToC which includes 'Title Page and copyright notice has been deleted, as has the Colophon with my name and email address.

The book review I did and copied to Kobo help is attached.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

A few minutes ago I went to the Kobo US website to see if any of the ebooks I have designed are there. I found Benigna Machiavelli by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - it has a very distinctive cover which I did.

The ToC which includes 'Title Page and copyright notice has been deleted, as has the Colophon with my name and email address.

The book review I did and copied to Kobo help is attached.

And if you created the cover, that is completely covered by copyright and they do not have the right to re-use that cover for sale. You should also write to Kobo customer service and detail the issue. They may not see/read the reviews. Readers will see it, so they will know, but it will take someone from Kobo Writing Life or other division to get the book removed.

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

And if you created the cover, that is completely covered by copyright and they do not have the right to re-use that cover for sale. You should also write to Kobo customer service and detail the issue. They may not see/read the reviews. Readers will see it, so they will know, but it will take someone from Kobo Writing Life or other division to get the book removed.

Thanks, Maria

I've just spent an infuriating evening with Kobo, and found in their shop two more ebooks I did for the MobileRead library, both with the title page altered to remove my statement that 'the ebook may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes' and with the colophon removed.

I'm not at all sure that Kobo readers will see the book reviews, since Kobo says that they will be reviewed for language.

I did send two emails to Kobo Help, so will have to wait to see if they respond.

I seem to remember that in an earlier post you indicated that you could help with take down notices. Have you had any experience with Kobo? Or just with Amazon? I'm surprised how angry this has made me, and would be most grateful if you could give me some ideas on how to write take down notices.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

Thanks, Maria

I've just spent an infuriating evening with Kobo, and found in their shop two more ebooks I did for the MobileRead library, both with the title page altered to remove my statement that 'the ebook may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes' and with the colophon removed.

I'm not at all sure that Kobo readers will see the book reviews, since Kobo says that they will be reviewed for language.

I did send two emails to Kobo Help, so will have to wait to see if they respond.

I seem to remember that in an earlier post you indicated that you could help with take down notices. Have you had any experience with Kobo? Or just with Amazon? I'm surprised how angry this has made me, and would be most grateful if you could give me some ideas on how to write take down notices.

I can try. I'll send you a PM.

[AlexBell]

Kobo did publish the book reviews I did on two of the ebook. They are at

http://store.kobobooks.com/ebook/the...nionId=1326988

http://store.kobobooks.com/ebook/ben...nionId=1326927

They also responded to a post to their help department:

'We are escalating your inquiry to our Writing Life department for further assistance.

An agent will be in touch within 2 business days.'

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I can try. I'll send you a PM.

Thanks again. I got your PM and will send you the details over the weekend.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

I'm surprised how angry this has made me,

I don't blame you for being angry Alex. I think it would make anyone angry under the circumstances. I have to wonder if any of the books that I've uploaded here at Mobileread have made their way to Kobo as well. We upload them here (without any thought of payment) simply because we love the written word and want to help preserve it by uploading corrected PD ebooks for others to enjoy. For someone to then take them and use them to make $ for themselves isn't right. If anyone should make $ off of the ebooks you uploaded it's you the creator of that copy, not someone who just comes along and grabs them up. Granted PG does allow for such to be done, but this is Mobileread not Gutenberg. People should respect other people's work.

[AlexBell]

Thanks, Crich

[AlexBell]

I've just found an ebook on the Kobo site which I think takes the prize for dishonest conduct. The ebook is The Queen of Hearts, by Wilkie Collins.

- It is a direct copy of the Project Gutenberg Australia text version, complete with the PGA logo.
- It has the same cover as I used on my MR version on the Kobo website (pretty young woman in a big hat with the title in white on a blue background), but when bought and downloaded to my computer has an old cover for The Moonstone
- The formatting is just awful - the lines don't flow, they start at the left margin then break and end about the middle of the screen, and the text starts again at the left margin
- Kobo or somebody has applied DRM
- Kobo is charging money for it.

I am of course going to report it to Kobo, and give it a poor review, and I hope others who are concerned about this problem will do the same.

[AlexBell]

My apologies if this is a duplicate post.

Earlier today I got an email from Kobo/Writing life (in response to a complaint I made) that Benigna Machiavelli had been taken down. I'd like to thank Maria from BearMountainBooks whose advice made this possible.

[FizzyWater]

That's good news.

[Manabi]

That's awesome, glad you were able to get it taken down!

[AlexBell]

Thanks to you both.

Rightly or wrongly I'm going to try to get in first by uploading whatever I post in the MobileRead library to Kobo as a free ebook, complete with a copyright notice for my original work. It may not stop the theft, but it it's worth a try. Kobo may my take theft from their site more seriously than they take theft from the MR library. I've got them to take Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell and The Law and the Lady by Wilkie Collins so far.

PS And they've just accepted Benigna Machiavelli, which was the first one I found.

[pdurrant]

Good for you.