Does that solve the problem of piracy? No.
Does this prevent it from ever happening? No.
I am a realist (yes, and a dreamer) and I do know that theft has and always will be a huge problem with human nature. People steal for all kinds of reasons, and piracy of intellectual rights comes with its own built-in justification system. While some feel it'll never go away so lie down and don't fight it, others will take the necessary steps to right the wrong when they can. These, too, are both sides of human nature, and neither is the wrong approach.
To those who feel they have all the answers and that theirs is the ONLY sensible approach, good for you. I'm glad you're satisfied with where you're at and with what's happening to your works. To others who feel piracy threatens their livelihood or profession, I feel for you. We ARE limited to some extent by what we can and cannot do to prevent piracy. But we can at least try. And good for those of you who took a stand. Most people balk at a fight or challenge. It's far easier to walk away than to step into the battle.
As I've been saying a lot the past couple of days:
You either stand for something, or you sit for everything.
To those authors whose works are still up even after reporting abuse, be patient. It'll take a few days, but once you've provided the info they requested, it'll get taken down and I suspect without much of a fight--as mine was. Good luck to you all and kudos for standing for something.
Support Authors, Buy a Book!
I wish JA Konrath and everyone else, no matter which side of this debate you're on, the very best in success always.
If you haven't read the previous links on this topic, here they are:
UPDATE 1
UPDATE 2
Update: Author JA Konrath defends copyright piracy
Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
critically acclaimed author of Whale Song, The River, Divine Intervention
http://www.cherylktardif.com/
5 comments:
Quick question, Cheryl
Where are people getting the pirate copies of novels they are downloading? Are they digital copies they have purchased or are people posting copies they haven't purchased?
I ask for a couple of reasons. One is that if writers know the likely sources of the problem, they can perhaps work on prevention.
The second reason is that we have to address the issue of readers feeling justified in sharing e-books because it has always been considered legit to share with friends print books which one purchased and finished reading.
I'm assuming that sharing of print books cuts into authors' sales and income, as well?
Eileen Schuh, Canadian Author
http://www.eileenschuh.com
Hey Eileen,
While it's imnpossible to say for sure where people are getting the files to pirate, I've heard some people have converted files they've received from authors or publishers (sometimes the pirates are early reviewers) and some have gone so far as to scan a book and convert it to PDF without the author or publisher's permission. Some ebook retailers make it easy to share files, while others have DRM in place to make copying and file sharing more restrictive.
Though sharing of any book could be said to cut into sales for an author, I think what separates print sharing from ebook sharing is that someone has bought the book then shared it with, say, a friend. Libraries buy the books, then lend them out. These are and have been accepted methods of sharing, whereas ebook pirates often get the book for free, then share it with the masses.
Again, every author has their own opinion on whether file sharing is right or wrong.
Pirates have many sources. Sometimes, a print book is scanned, and an ebook is created where no ebook existed before.
Other times, a review ARC escapes. Or, maybe the author gave away an ebook as a prize.
Or, one reader purchased a legal e-book, created a copy and uploaded it to a pirate site (or she shared a copy with a friend and that friend uploaded a copy of "her" copy to a pirate site.)
Once it's "shared" thousands of people can access the ebook and make their own copies.
Many of the storage sites have functionality so that with a click of a mouse, a visitor has the choice of 289 different sites including Baidu, Twitter, Facebook, and can share the link to the "free" ebook with every friend and follower they have on any of those sites.
There are two different copyright laws: DMCA for ebooks. A reader has first sale rights for the print book. She owns that copy. She can sell it, burn it, lend it, use it for mulch... as long as she does not create a second copy.
With an e-book, you cannot lend it without creating multiple copies, and creating copies is a violation of copyright. What you buy with an ebook is the right to read it, not ownership of the content.
Authors discuss issues of copyright and share anecdotes and tips on recognizing pirates with readers on the GoodReads.com group "Authors Without A Yacht".
I'm glad you had some success (eventually) with getting your work removed from the 4shared site.
My work hasn't been put up there...yet, but it has appeared elsewhere and it is real difficult to get these people to take it down.
Your success has given me inspiration to fight harder.
I'm glad I could inspire you, Casey. Keep issuing takedown notices where you can. At least know that you're doing what you can to solve the issue.
In the past few months I have witnessed sharing sites and sharing blogs closing down as a result of authors fighting against piracy. It CAN be done.
Cheryl
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