I received the following email last week:
I found my book on archive.org and sent them the letter you recommended. Their site says it was “donated” by “Boston Public.” It’s a first edition of the book (published in 2002) and was only published in print. It can’t be purchased from the site, only “borrowed” for 14 days. Apparently, that has happened 9 times. So are they now trying to look like a library?
How does this affect the copyright issue? For example, if a library buys a book, people can freely check the book out. So, if the library then donates the book to another library, wouldn’t the same thing hold true? Of course, archive.org is not a library (in the traditional sense of the word) so they are clearly trying to get around the issues. But, are they violating copyright if they don’t sell copies of the book?
Here’s my answer:
Even if they claim to be a library, they need to purchase a copy of the ebook, as well as be granted specific rights to distribute that ebook. And, that permission must be granted by the rights holder, either the publisher or author.
Libraries are NOT permitted to scan printed books, turn them into ebooks, and let people start downloading and reading them. That’s a clear violation of copyright law.
All authors should check that site to see if their copyrights are being infringed, too. Read THIS ARTICLE for more information.
RELATED:
- Google Ordered to Pay French Publisher $430K for Copyright Infringement
- About Google’s Book Scanning and Posting Activities
- From Another (Alleged) Google Books Victim
- And Another Google Books Victim…
- SCRIBD.COM – Is Copyright Infringement Their Business Model and Are You a Victim, Too?
Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.
About The Author
Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).
Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.
WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.
BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."
Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.
PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!
Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.
Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)
See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.
ANGELA ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/AngelaHoy
BOOKLOCKER ON FACEBOOK - Provides links to free excerpts!
https://www.facebook.com/booklockerbooks
ANGELA ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/angela.hoy.750
ANGELA ON LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahoy/
Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/
Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE
- Do you want to REALLY keep 100% of your royalties?
- Do you want to REALLY self-publish your book?
- Do you want direct contracts with the world's largest Print on Demand printer as well as Ingram, the world's largest book distributor, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and any other ebook retailer you choose?
All at a price LOWER than most POD publishers!
http://www.PubPreppers.com
Good advice!