Ensuring eBooks are Publisher Authorised

[theducks]

Originally Posted by sempiter

I’ve just come across this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Presen.../dp/B004G8QI3U

The sample at Amazon (and elsewhere) has no copyright page. Moreover, I cannot find the book at the publisher’s website.

The Copyright Police will not bother you, the PURCHASER. Amazon has deep pockets.

If you do discover a stinker, drop a dime if you care to help the Author.
It is NOT our JOB to do an in depth search on the Rights assignments when we buy from a reputable dealer.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by theducks

The Copyright Police will not bother you, the PURCHASER. Amazon has deep pockets.

If you do discover a stinker, drop a dime if you care to help the Author.
It is NOT our JOB to do an in depth search on the Rights assignments when we buy from a reputable dealer.

No, it’s not our job. But it usually doesn’t require an in-depth search and I strongly prefer not to line the pockets of pirates as well as letting Amazon take a cut when they fail to do due diligence or act on reports. When I see something that’s obviously a bootleg edition, I walk away - even if I’d buy at that price and won’t buy at the copyright price.

[theducks]

Issy
You said it. Obvious Bootleg. No need to dig further.

OTOH if I was not a MR member, reading here.
how would the average Joe know it was a bootleg? All they see is the Catalog entry and remembering one of their friends recommended the Title or Author.
No mention of Not available for e-readers was made (because THEY have it in dead tree form).

Folk who KNOW (or have a good reason to suspect), should use the Report button Amazon provides (they DO care).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by theducks

Folk who KNOW (or have a good reason to suspect), should use the Report button Amazon provides (they DO care).

Smashwords doesn't care. I've reported the same bogus Mary Stewart eBook a number of times and it's still up for sale.

[Quoth]

You need to report to the Rights Holder, not a retailer.

[Dazrin]

Jon,

You say that, and have said it repeatedly - even side tracking other threads about it, but when Smashwords says they have proof from the publisher that those Mary Stewart books are legit you don't seem to care and keep bringing this up.

Where is your proof that this is not legitimate?

The publisher knows and hasn't done anything, Smashwords knows and supposedly has proof that it's ok. Why do you keep saying that Smashwords is wrong? How could you know that? And, given that the publisher apparently doesn't care, why do you even care?

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Quoth

You need to report to the Rights Holder, not a retailer.

Yep, the process is that the rights holder has to submit a take down not some random customer. Can you imagine the mischief that people could do reporting books they don't like as pirated copies?

Amazon doesn't do due diligence. Their business model is to outsource that to the publisher. They will only act if the copyright holder sends them a take down notice or if customers complain about the quality of the book.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Yep, the process is that the rights holder has to submit a take down not some random customer. Can you imagine the mischief that people could do reporting books they don't like as pirated copies?

Amazon doesn't do due diligence. Their business model is to outsource that to the publisher. They will only act if the copyright holder sends them a take down notice or if customers complain about the quality of the book.

Rant On:

I wish Google would do this too with small businesses. Anyone else with a Google business page? I constantly get emails from Google telling me that a customer has suggested different business hours for my store. If I do not take the time to login to my page and tell them that I want to keep my hours as they are, Google will unilaterally make the suggested hours permanent. It is my business if I want to change my hours I will. I do not need Google telling me when I should be open. :Rant Off
Apache

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by Apache

Rant On:

I wish Google would do this too with small businesses. Anyone else with a Google business page? I constantly get emails from Google telling me that a customer has suggested different business hours for my store. If I do not take the time to login to my page and tell them that I want to keep my hours as they are, Google will unilaterally make the suggested hours permanent. It is my business if I want to change my hours I will. I do not need Google telling me when I should be open. :Rant Off
Apache

That's crazy!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Jon,

You say that, and have said it repeatedly - even side tracking other threads about it, but when Smashwords says they have proof from the publisher that those Mary Stewart books are legit you don't seem to care and keep bringing this up.

Where is your proof that this is not legitimate?

The publisher knows and hasn't done anything, Smashwords knows and supposedly has proof that it's ok. Why do you keep saying that Smashwords is wrong? How could you know that? And, given that the publisher apparently doesn't care, why do you even care?

If this so called publisher had the rights for the Mary Stewart Arthurian books, why aren't all of them released in the US? These are big books that would be easily able to be published at various eBook shops in the US easily.

The rights do exist in the UK and all of the eBooks are available there. But in the US, the entire series is not available. The publisher is not a real publisher and it is bogus. It looks like it's a scan/OCR.

This is bogus and Smahswords is not doing anything about it. The rights holders are also not doing a thing about it.

What is it to you that someone cares about this?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

That's crazy!

'We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone'

I've thrown ranters OUT of my shop (Legitimate complaints, get taken care of. Bullies are shown the door)

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If this so called publisher had the rights for the Mary Stewart Arthurian books, why aren't all of them released in the US? These are big books that would be easily able to be published at various eBook shops in the US easily.

The rights do exist in the UK and all of the eBooks are available there. But in the US, the entire series is not available. The publisher is not a real publisher and it is bogus. It looks like it's a scan/OCR.

This is bogus and Smahswords is not doing anything about it. The rights holders are also not doing a thing about it.

What is it to you that someone cares about this?

I care because it has been said so many times and has derailed threads over something that appears to be just your opinion, not fact. Smashwords has said that they do have proof that the publisher is legitimate.

From a Smashwords employee in one of the side tracked threads:

It looks like a report of fraud was investigated and proof of rights by this publisher was provided. (I have nothing to do with this part of our site, but was able to see that this was done.)

That quote is a direct response to you and your allegations but you chose to completely ignore it and continue your rant and continue bashing Smashwords for it whenever you get a chance.

As you said, the rights holders aren't doing anything about it. So either they don't care or, like Smashwords has reported, the publisher is legit. Either way, please let it go.

I'm done. Go ahead and get your last word in.

[teh_codez]

There's another common use for DRM: To lock out competing applications/devices. For instance, IIRC the Mobiscribe can't read Kindle's DRM'd mobi's so anyone who buys Kindle-DRM'd books needs to buy a Kindle.

And, if you buy a Kindle it's *way* more convenient to buy ebooks from the Kindle store than a hypothetical 'Mobiscribe Bookstore' due to Amazon's blocking of other of integration of Kindle devices with other stores, so more Kindle buyers = more Kindle Store users = more profit.

I can't prove that they actually do that, mind you, but there's definitely an incentive there.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by teh_codez

There's another common use for DRM: To lock out competing applications/devices. For instance, IIRC the Mobiscribe can't read Kindle's DRM'd mobi's so anyone who buys Kindle-DRM'd books needs to buy a Kindle.

And, if you buy a Kindle it's *way* more convenient to buy ebooks from the Kindle store than a hypothetical 'Mobiscribe Bookstore' due to Amazon's blocking of other of integration of Kindle devices with other stores, so more Kindle buyers = more Kindle Store users = more profit.

I can't prove that they actually do that, mind you, but there's definitely an incentive there.

You don't have to buy a Kindle to read Kindle books. You can install a free Kindle app on your Windows, Android or Apple device and read them there.

[binaryhermit]

Also, the lock-in theory kinda falls apart a little bit since Amazon and friends don't make money from the actual hardware directly.