Story Theft Warning

[mythtrav16]

As I'm sure is the case with many Literotica authors, I simultaneously hold accounts here and with ASSTR.org, on which my stories are also available for free. Today, I logged in to my email account to discover a blanket warning email sent out by the ASSTR admin, warning its authors about the thefts of some authors' stories, and the unautherized use of these stories in commercial books.

Many of the stories concerned were aparrently sourced from Literotica.

The email urged its recipients to "spread the word" to any who might be affected and that is what I am doing here. Here is the email as I recieved it:


Wednesday, 29th December 2010

Dear Literotica & ASSTR,

I would be much obliged if you would send out the following letter via
your forums, newsletters and social networks. Please post it anywhere and
everywhere you deem appropriate.

I have discovered a massive case of plagiarism involving both your
websites and many of your writers. Their work has been plagiarized and
copyright infringed, and is being published in Kindle format and sold on
Amazon.com. (There were paperbacks and e-books being published by LuLu.com
also, but their Copyright Agent was fantastic – he deleted the thief's
entire catalog, not just the book I sent him a DMCA notice about.)

If you need any further information, please don't hesitate to contact me
at the e-mail address below.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerest regards...
Alex Severin – Writer
* * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Writers,

My name is Alex Severin. I'm a writer. I've come across a Literary
Kleptomaniac on the internet variously named as -

Rebecca Geissler
Rebekah Geissler
Becky Geissler
Rebecca Bick
Rebekah Bick
Ana Phylaxis
M. Ana Phylaxis
Mistress Ana Phylaxis
BizarreBettyXXX (she claims this is her publishing house.)
Byronee (this is actually a character from one of the stolen stories below.)

She steals stories (erotica, mind control, fetish and erotic horror,) puts
them in book form and sells them on Amazon. So far, there are 7 books.
Every story is plagiarized and copyright infringed.

I already had her store on LuLu.com shut down. She was using them to POD
paperbacks and selling them at nearly $21 a pop.

If you have work on Literotica.com or ASSTR.org, please read through the
list below and look for your name. If you don't see your name, I'm sure
you will recognize plenty of other names listed. Please pass on this info
to your fellow writers, post it on your blog, your social network sites
etc.

She has looted both Literotica and ASSTR. She stole 8 of my stories from
my own website and a very old e-zine my work is in. Five of those she put
into books. The other 3 she was earning per-1000-clicks payments via
Yahoo! Associated Content.

I sent DMCA notices to Amazon.com regarding the two books my stories were
in and they have have since been deleted from the site, so, if your story
was in NECROLUST : IN THE FLESH or NECROPOLIS you don't need to take any
action. 13 WOMEN has also been deleted after 'Phineas' whose story YAMARA
was stolen from Literotica, sent Amazon a DMCA notice. Currently, four
books remain available.

If your story/stories is/are in any of the other four books, I would
recommend sending Amazon a DMCA notice. If you don't know how to do this,
click on the link below, copy and paste the DMCA form and just fill in all
the areas that contain UPPER CASE INSTRUCTIONS, like so, with your own
details.


http://www.alexseverin.com/Blank-DMCA-Notice.txt


And send it to Amazon.com's Copyright & Trademark Agent at
copyright@amazon.com


Use DMCA NOTICE - COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT as your e-mail subject line.


Any questions you might have or further help you may need with the DMCA
notice, don't hesitate to contact me at Alex @NOSPAMAlexSeverin.com (Remove
Space and NOSPAM before sending e-mail, of course.)

I've listed the plagiarized and copyright infringed stories and writers,
book by book. It's a long list. I've linked to all the Amazon buy pages
that remain (of course, a few of them are gone now but I've uploaded a few
screen-shots.)

Also, since Facebook doesn't seem to care that she is linking to buy
illegal content (a contravention of their own Rights and Responsibilities
for users,) feel free to send a note to Facebook requesting they shut down
her 'fan' group. Just let them know that she's linking to illegal content
in the form of copyright infringed / plagiarized stories and offering them
for sale via her group page. I sent her a Cease & Desist Order, since she
clearly wasn't going to stop and kept releasing books even after I had
started taking her down, (including stealing more on my stories!) She
closed her 'fan' page on Facebook and locked down her 'fan' group. She's
now claiming 'her' stories have been 'stolen' and that she is working with
the FBI on the matter.

Just as an aside, I wouldn't recommend interacting with her. She informed
me I was affecting her PTSD, she is poor and innocent and that I am
actually victimizing HER. She told me she has no money and that legal
action against her will cost me more than it will her. I felt obliged to
inform her when I mentioned 'legal action' that she misunderstood – I am
not suing her personally – I am seeking her prosecution. I never heard
back from her after that.

This is the URL of her Facebook group -


http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_113466835387435


She also has another facebook page, 'Facebook.com/Becky.Geissler' (This is
also her, but she claims it is her 'slave.' The display names she uses on
her group are 'Mistress Ana Phylaxis' and 'Anaphylactic Shock.'

This person has made money off all of us – perhaps not a fortune, but
enough that she continues to do it even after she has been caught.

The reason I'm sending this to the individual websites involved is this –
I contacted all the writers in the first three books and only received one
responses out of a dozen writers. Many of these stories have been online
for ten years or more and some of the accounts haven't been modified for
many years. I thought my best bet was to try and get the two main sites on
board to send out this letter via their own newsletters, forums and social
networks. Also, anybody reading this please feel free to disseminate it,
or the information within, anywhere you deem appropriate. I would like
this plagiarist publicly exposed.

I got a call on 21st December from the Copyright and Trademark Agent at
Amazon, Adrian Garver and it would appear Mistress Ana Phylaxis is going
to try and challenge my DMCA notices. She informed Mr. Garver that she
started writing the book in 1993 and first published it in 1997. She
didn't actually say which book she was talking about.

Here's the book and story list...

Title : NECROLUST : IN THE FLESH [I sent a DMCA notice regarding this book
and it has now been deleted from the Amazon catalog.]

The buy page is gone now, but here are some screen-shots :


http://www.alexseverin.com/Necrolus...om-Kindle-Edition-Mistress-Ana-Phylaxis-1.jpg

http://www.alexseverin.com/Necrolus...om-Kindle-Edition-Mistress-Ana-Phylaxis-2.jpg

http://www.alexseverin.com/Necrolus...Edition-Mistress-Ana-Phylaxis-2-Paperback.jpg


NECROLUST : IN THE FLESH PDF PURCHASED FROM LULU.COM – If you would like a
copy, please e-mail me. I don't want to host the content on my site since
only a few of the stories are my own copyright and this would be an
infringement of your copyright.

In the Flesh - Alex Severin (Alex Severin.com)

Bad Habit - Alex Severin (House of Pain e-Zine)

Bad Habit II : The Redemtion of Mary Magdalen – Alex Severin (House of
Pain e-Zine)

Frankenstein, the Lost Journals – Red Ram (Literotica)

The Goblin Under the Bed – Margin Walker (Literotica)

Wonderland in Alice – TwistedPlayr (Literotica)

Lustful Summoning : Parts 1 - 13 – mjm202036 (Literotica)



Title : THE COVEN

Buy Link :
http://www.amazon.com/The-Coven-ebo...m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292398348&sr=8-6
PDF COPY PURCHASED FROM LULU.COM - If you would like a copy, please e-mail
me. I don't want to host this e-book on my site since none of the stories
in it are mine and this would be an infringement of your copyright.

The Coven (Complete Serial) – TheFlyingPen (Literotica)



Title : 13 WOMEN [This book has now been removed from the Amazon catalog
after a DMCA notice was sent by 'Phineas' whose story YAMARA was used.]

PDF COPY PURCHASED FROM LULU.COM - If you would like a copy, please e-mail
me. I don't want to host this e-book on my site since none of the stories
in it are mine and this would be an infringement of your copyright.

The Julia Chronicles – Sara H [AKA Cat's Sara] (Literotica)

Igrayne – Uther Pendragon (ASSTR)

A Knight to Remember – Souvie (Literotica)

Last Night Together – Inkubus (ASSTR) (See note below about this story.)

The Gorgons Kiss – Cobalt Jade (ASSTR)

Yamara – Phineas (Literotica)

The Devil is Miss Jones (all parts) / The Devil is Still Miss Jones (all
parts) / Hell's Belle : The Return of Lilibat (all parts) – A Sinister
Bent (ASSTR)

Dr. Fixit (all parts of the Dr. Kara Pendleton series) - A Sinister Bent
(ASSTR)

The Adventures of Sam Spain, PI [Her title, THE ADVENTURES OF SAM SPAIN,
PRIVATE DICK] – masterdavid1965 (Literotica)

(NOTE: LAST NIGHT TOGETHER may also be the same LAST NIGHT TOGETHER that's
on her NiteFlirt page where she's selling audio files. I didn't purchase
these as the site requires setting up an account with them. So you might
want to visit and check it out. There's lots of files – she may have
gotten the original material from Literotica and ASSTR too. You might
recognize a title – she doesn't change them often. Here's the link to
her page -

http://www.niteflirt.com/BizarreBettyXXX)


Title : NECROPOLIS [I sent a DMCA notice regarding this book and it has
now been deleted from the Amazon catalog.]

PDF COPY PURCHASED FROM LULU.COM - If you would like a copy, please e-mail
me. I don't want to host this e-book on my site since only two of the
stories in it are mine and this would be an infringement of your
copyright.

Emma Eccentric – CSC Monkey Girl (Literotica)

Illisa's Trials – t'Sade (Literotica)

La Belle Dame Sans Merci – Differently Dirty (Literotica)

Inside You – Alex Severin (AlexSeverin.com)

Ladle Rat Rotten Hut – Libertine (ASSTR)

Migration – Bandyimo (ASSTR)

Pits & Spikes – t'Sade (ASSTR)

Playmates – Angel Michael (ASSTR)

Special Treats – t'Sade (ASSTR)

The Summer Guest – Evil Cow (ASSTR)

Winter Flesh – Tabico (ASSTR)

Zombie Fucker – Alex Severin & Hertzan Chimera (AlexSeverin.com)



Title : A... B... C... (THE A,B,C'S OF DISCIPLINE AND HORROR) [sic]

Buy Link :
http://www.amazon.com/B-C-Disciplin...m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292895170&sr=8-1

A Sanguine Romance for the Dying – Unknown Pleasures (Literotica)

Blood Rose - Chapters 1 - 3 – Icehead (Literotica)

Boston Halloween Massacre - Chapters 1 - 22 – BostonFictionWriter
(Literotica)

Call of the Wolf – Chapters 1 - 8 – Purpleguy1812 (Literotica)

Consumed – Chapters 1 – 3 – NotWhatSheSeems (Literotica)

Captivity – J. Percival (Literotica)

Plane of Lust – limitless_lover (Literotica)



Title : D... E... F... (THE A,B,C'S OF DISCIPLINE AND HORROR Volume 2) [sic]

Buy Link :
http://www.amazon.com/D-F-Disciplin...m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292895809&sr=8-2

Detective Murphy – Transfix (Literotica)

Detective Murphy Meets the Devil – Transfix (Literotica)

Detective Murphy : The Lesson – Transfix (Literotica)

Detective Murphy : The Prick – Transfix (Literotica)

Descending – Chapters 1 – 2 – missmetalhead (Literotica)

Englishman in New York – Chapters 1 – 13 – velvetpie (Literotica)

Fresh from the Grave – Days 1 – 5 – emap (Literotica)

Found – Chapters 1 - 5 – Cowboi (Literotica)

Fungi – Master_Vyle (Literotica)

Full Moon Rut – SolitaryHawk (Literotica)



Title : 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Buy Link :
http://www.amazon.com/12-Days-of-Ch...m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1292895809&sr=8-3

12 Days of Christmas – Days 1 – 12 – supersexy_alexa (Literotica)


Website : YAHOO! ASSOCIATED CONTENT

Mary Magdalene : The Beloved Disciple
Actual Title : Mary Magdalene : Author of the Fourth Gospel? - Ramon K.
Jusino

New Year's – ScottishChieftan (ASSTR)

Jimmy's Fate - ScottishChieftan (ASSTR)

The Chieftain - ScottishChieftan (ASSTR)

Good Steward – ScottishChieftan (ASSTR)

The Phoenix House – Bandyimo (ASSTR)

Again, writers, please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any
assistance with your DMCA notice, or have any other questions regarding
this matter.

I would also like to express my thanks to the websites involved for
assisting with disseminating this information.

Sincerest regards...
/Alex Severin/
Alex Severin – Writer

 

[fuckwaffle]

thanks but the facebook link just takes me to my facebook page????

 

[sr71plt]

Here we go again. And it's been less than a week.

Gang, if you don't want your stories stolen, don't slap them on an open Internet site for free access.

 

[ForTheMonsters]

Hi there,

This is Alex Severin. I'm the writer of the above alert.

Thanks for posting my Alert, MythTrav! I was planning on posting it here tomorrow myself. I did contact Literotica directly, more than once, but I've yet to receive a response.

FuckWaffle - the reason the Facebook link goes back to your own page now is this - earlier today somebody who read the alert via ASSTR.org signed up for her 'Fan' group and posted it there. She then banned the member, deleted his post and promptly changed her 'Fan' group to SECRET, hence Facebook defaults to you own profile.

Anybody who would like to be kept updated on this, please visit my blog - any new developments will be posted on this entry in the form of an update -

http://www.myspace.com/vampire_erotica_stories/blog/541482183

Again, thanks for posting this - I appreciate it!

- Alex Severin
www.AlexSeverin.com

 

[Boxlicker101]

Here we go again. And it's been less than a week.

Gang, if you don't want your stories stolen, don't slap them on an open Internet site for free access.

If a woman got raped and was unhappy about it, would you blame her for walking on the street by herself at night?

 

[Boxlicker101]

Hi there,

This is Alex Severin. I'm the writer of the above alert.

Thanks for posting my Alert, MythTrav! I was planning on posting it here tomorrow myself. I did contact Literotica directly, more than once, but I've yet to receive a response.

FuckWaffle - the reason the Facebook link goes back to your own page now is this - earlier today somebody who read the alert via ASSTR.org signed up for her 'Fan' group and posted it there. She then banned the member, deleted his post and promptly changed her 'Fan' group to SECRET, hence Facebook defaults to you own profile.

Anybody who would like to be kept updated on this, please visit my blog - any new developments will be posted on this entry in the form of an update -

http://www.myspace.com/vampire_erotica_stories/blog/541482183

Again, thanks for posting this - I appreciate it!

- Alex Severin
www.AlexSeverin.com

I notice Amazon also offers books of short stories, which is what most stories posted on this site are. Is there any way we can find out if any of our stories are included in these books?

 

[ForTheMonsters]

I notice Amazon also offers books of short stories, which is what most stories posted on this site are. Is there any way we can find out if any of our stories are included in these books?

The only reason I found the initial book was because she used an excerpt from one of my stories and it just so happens one of the lines I have a Google Alert for is in that excerpt. When I found NECROLUST : IN THE FLESH and saw she was using one of my stories I bought an e-book copy from LuLu.com. There were three of my stories in that one book. I checked all the other stories in the book - 100% plagiarized. I bought the other books too because I just knew the rest of them would also be filled with stolen stories. She stole eight of my stories all together.

As for tracking down the contents of other books? There's really no way to do it unless there's a scenario like above, or somebody uses a TOC. The reason most of these thieves do not use a TOC, I would hazard a guess, is because they would be caught via the titles. Of course, they could change the titles but that would entail having to use brain power. Sadly, that's something most of these plagiarists are lacking.

If you do have writing on the internet - anywhere on the internet - it would be a good idea to set up a google account and create some alerts. Best way to do this is to choose several lines from your story, not just one line. And do the titles too - most of the thieves don't bother changing them.

- Alex Severin.

 

[sr71plt]

If a woman got raped and was unhappy about it, would you blame her for waking on the street by herself at night?

If a woman goes to work with cleavage showing down to there and a tight skirt with a slit up to there, is it really the other workers' fault for looking?

There, we can both do it.

But neither is the issue here. This issue here is the naivete in expectation.

 

[mythtrav16]

If a woman goes to work with cleavage showing down to there and a tight skirt with a slit up to there, is it really the other workers' fault for looking?

There, we can both do it.

But neither is the issue here. This issue here is the naivete in expectation.

Really? I thought the issue was authors' rights.

And so long as we're throwing analogies around, the situation is more like some A-list, PETA-member, staunchly vegan actress having her face photoshopped on to a poster, where she's about to bite in to a big mac.

Sure, becoming a celebrity, she should expect people to take unauthorized photos of her and even have her face splashed across various magazines, etc. But when somebody steals her face and uses it to make money against her wishes, she has every right to tell the store managers pasting those posters on their windows to take them down. If necessary, she'll take them to court to reclaim her image.

We authors who post our works on free story sites like Literotica, do so in the spirit of providing our audiences with entertainment for no charge. That's the medium we chose for our stories. Having our work taken, without our permission, being sold without our permission, and not seeing a dime of the profits our stories earn, despite the fact that we did all the work, is an insult to us and the poor saps who actually fork out money for something they could've gotten for free.

I have some stories on a paid site, that I see no money from, but that's fine because I agreed to those conditions. As I understand it, nobody on that list above agreed to having their work printed for sale, with no royalties.

Also, a lot of story thieves (I don't know about the one we're discussing in this thread) don't even acknowledge the true authors of the stories they steal. I know some people don't care if readers know who wrote their stories, but I do and I know that a lot of other authors do, too.


I agree when you say that it's naive to assume that plagiarism like this can't or won't happen. But that doesn't change the fact that authors have a right to post their stories on free sites like this one, without this kind of crap going on, and we should defend that right as best we can.

 

[DarthJulius]

Really? I thought the issue was authors' rights.

And so long as we're throwing analogies around, the situation is more like some A-list, PETA-member, staunchly vegan actress having her face photoshopped on to a poster, where she's about to bite in to a big mac.

Sure, becoming a celebrity, she should expect people to take unauthorized photos of her and even have her face splashed across various magazines, etc. But when somebody steals her face and uses it to make money against her wishes, she has every right to tell the store managers pasting those posters on their windows to take them down. If necessary, she'll take them to court to reclaim her image.

We authors who post our works on free story sites like Literotica, do so in the spirit of providing our audiences with entertainment for no charge. That's the medium we chose for our stories. Having our work taken, without our permission, being sold without our permission, and not seeing a dime of the profits our stories earn, despite the fact that we did all the work, is an insult to us and the poor saps who actually fork out money for something they could've gotten for free.

I have some stories on a paid site, that I see no money from, but that's fine because I agreed to those conditions. As I understand it, nobody on that list above agreed to having their work printed for sale, with no royalties.

Also, a lot of story thieves (I don't know about the one we're discussing in this thread) don't even acknowledge the true authors of the stories they steal. I know some people don't care if readers know who wrote their stories, but I do and I know that a lot of other authors do, too.


I agree when you say that it's naive to assume that plagiarism like this can't or won't happen. But that doesn't change the fact that authors have a right to post their stories on free sites like this one, without this kind of crap going on, and we should defend that right as best we can.

Yes. Thoughtful and well written. It would seem, after reading a lot of post by the sr71 person, he just might be...hold it, I'm trying to think of the word I need to describe him...a party pooper.

He doesn't like you authors having fun or commiserating and he seems to like to hear himself yammer. A lot. He seems to have an opinion on everything no matter the subject.

He seems to be a self appointed authority on copyright law, yet has been proven incorrect in his assertions on several occasions. Yet continues to bluster and huff and puff about you authors being idiots.

I'm very surprised none of you have him on ignore. All though he is good for a laugh whenever he posts any of his yammerings.

DJ

 

[Darkniciad]

Uhm... so far as I remember, SR has yet to be proven wrong with regards to anything copyright related.

The U.S. copyright site is pretty plainly worded ( especially for a government site ) and it's in full agreement with everything SR has said.

Not going to disagree with the party pooper line, but that doesn't make him wrong.

 

[sr71plt]

Yes. Thoughtful and well written. It would seem, after reading a lot of post by the sr71 person, he just might be...hold it, I'm trying to think of the word I need to describe him...a party pooper. . .

Hi, Zeb. Not quite believable if you don't use an alt to say it, right?

 

[Dixiedevil67]

I once found one of my stories, from here, that had been translated into German and posted on another site. I found it through a forum discussion that was discussing things that are tabboo in the U.S. and not in Europe. The story had been translated by a woman, but she still gave me credit as the author, she was credited as the translator. This didn't bother me as it was still on a "free" site and I had been given credit as the author. I was actually kind of flattered as it was getting good reviews.

The difference is this person in claiming the work as her own and selling it. If I post something for free and it gets reposted somewhere else for free, it doesn't bother me that much. I would rather be asked, but I am still getting credit and a few fans. But, do not sell my works, and especially do not put your name on my work and claim to be the author. There are a lot of works you can view at libraries or museums for free, but they do not let you copy a book and put your name on it, or take a painting off the wall and scribble your mark in the corner. Stealing is stealing.

 

[sr71plt]

Really? I thought the issue was authors' rights.

Yes, it is. The naivete is thinking that they are more than they are and thinking that you can have much of any control over the Internet environment despite all of the sweat and worry you put into it.

But we go over this at least every two weeks, don't we? And so far the Internet hasn't changed much for you, has it?

It's easy to shoot the messengers though.

 

[DarthJulius]

Hi, Zeb. Not quite believable if you don't use an alt to say it, right?

HUH? Oh yes, I've read his posts too. Seems to have you number though. His description of you was pretty accurate I would say. But I'm not him/her (hard to tell on the internet).

 

[sr71plt]

HUH? Oh yes, I've read his posts too. Seems to have you number though. His description of you was pretty accurate I would say. But I'm not him/her (hard to tell on the internet).

You can certainly pretend it's hard to tell, Zeb.

 

[DarthJulius]

You can certainly pretend it's hard to tell, Zeb.

Figures.

 

[Stella_Omega]

If a woman got raped and was unhappy about it, would you blame her for walking on the street by herself at night?

If A guy gets hit by a truck, would you blame him for playing real-life frogger?

If a guy gets hit by lightening, would you blame him for swinging a nine-iron on a golf course in a thunderstorm?

If you get eaten by a tiger, would I blame you for going into the jungle all by your lonesome?

If you find your stories pirated all over the place, would I point out that you dropped them on one of the largest-trafficked sites on the internet and that there is NO protection against copy paste?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

And will you assume some august entity will magically protect your copyrights because of magic copyright law somehow?

Yeah we see a lot of that too.

My dear friends; copyright gives you the right to press for redress-- IF you can afford the lawyers.

 

[sr71plt]

My dear friends; copyright gives you the right to press for redress-- IF you can afford the lawyers.

And if, in the United States, you hold a formal copyright registration. Unless, of course, you have a stinker of a lawyer who is willing to fleece you before telling you you can't go to court because you didn't register it.

 

[Stella_Omega]

And if, in the United States, you hold a formal copyright registration. Unless, of course, you have a stinker of a lawyer who is willing to fleece you before telling you you can't go to court because you didn't register it.

Hey-- that's not fair!

 

[sr71plt]

Hey-- that's not fair!

It certainly comes as a surprise to those who assume someone else is going to take care of them and don't bother to check whether there be alligators in the pool before they dive in.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxlicker101
If a woman got raped and was unhappy about it, would you blame her for walking on the street by herself at night?

If A guy gets hit by a truck, would you blame him for playing real-life frogger?

If a guy gets hit by lightening, would you blame him for swinging a nine-iron on a golf course in a thunderstorm?

If you get eaten by a tiger, would I blame you for going into the jungle all by your lonesome?

If you find your stories pirated all over the place, would I point out that you dropped them on one of the largest-trafficked sites on the internet and that there is NO protection against copy paste?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

And will you assume some august entity will magically protect your copyrights because of magic copyright law somehow?

Yeah we see a lot of that too.

My dear friends; copyright gives you the right to press for redress-- IF you can afford the lawyers.

I am quite surprised you would blame the victim - that is, the woman who gets raped because she has the temerity to walk on the street at night by herself. The next three blameworthy acts are just stupidity.

As for the last, we do have some protection - Laurel, although she is not a miracle worker. We should have another protection too. A major site such as Amazon should heed complaints about plagiarism of stories they are selling, especially if it can be proven the stories were written by somebody else. I believe they actually have a legal obligation to do so, although it would be hard to enforce.

 

[DarthJulius]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxlicker101
If a woman got raped and was unhappy about it, would you blame her for walking on the street by herself at night?




I am quite surprised you would blame the victim - that is, the woman who gets raped because she has the temerity to walk on the street at night by herself. The next three blameworthy acts are just stupidity.

As for the last, we do have some protection - Laurel, although she is not a miracle worker. We should have another protection too. A major site such as Amazon should heed complaints about plagiarism of stories they are selling, especially if it can be proven the stories were written by somebody else. I believe they actually have a legal obligation to do so, although it would be hard to enforce.

Actually they don't have any obligation except that of the copyright regulation(s) in effect. All they did is provide the place to post items for sale. But out of the goodness of their heart they will pull said material when notified via a DMCA form. Yea us.

 

[sr71plt]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxlicker101
If a woman got raped and was unhappy about it, would you blame her for walking on the street by herself at night?




I am quite surprised you would blame the victim - that is, the woman who gets raped because she has the temerity to walk on the street at night by herself. The next three blameworthy acts are just stupidity.

As for the last, we do have some protection - Laurel, although she is not a miracle worker. We should have another protection too. A major site such as Amazon should heed complaints about plagiarism of stories they are selling, especially if it can be proven the stories were written by somebody else. I believe they actually have a legal obligation to do so, although it would be hard to enforce.

Bullshit to the victim view.

Are you a victim if you, upon passing a house burning down, decide on your own to walk into it and be toasted?

You really, really are having a hard time seeing the point, aren't you? (As are others.)

This is largely a case of not researching what it means for you to post your stories on the open Internet or taking responsibility for your own actions and expecting someone else to bail you out when you haven't checked on how safe the house is and just not walked into it if it is burning if you didn't feel like being a crispy duck. Duh.

It's wonderful if you can get the material removed by moral suasion--assuming you can manage the time and effort it takes, will live with it only working some of the time, and are up for your material popping right back up in two days' time.

Yes, it's awful that people will steal your stuff and repost it. Of course, Lit. forum posters do that daily right on this forum and none of you seem to object (indeed, some of you are doing it).

So, your myopic vision and selfishness aside, that's the Internet. That's reality.

To expect the law or even Laurel to protect something you slapped in a danger zone for easy picking is really just your tough luck, though. The law is purposely set up to make it hard for these cases to come to court. It has clearly told you you have to register the copyright (in the United States; not in the UK) to even start getting legal redress, and even if you do get to court (at great expense) the legal system is set up to value your story as you did--at zero, because you slapped it on a free-access Web site for free read. Free means intrinsically worthless in law.

I think I'm probably the only one who has posted what is common sense to do. Either (A) post for fun and don't sweat where it spreads--and certainly don't expect someone to protect something that can't be protected, and/or (B) Do as I do. Publish it for money first and only post it here after it's already had a good run in the market.

In any case, you're responsible for your own actions in posting to an uncontrollable sieve.

What Amazon is probably eventually going to do is to demand proof of formal copyright to post anything. That will work for your stories here--as long as you don't want to make money out of them yourself (and until the thieves figure out that all they have to do is file for formal copyright on material you didn't file on--and then it's legally theirs. Because the courts aren't going to get into the business of tracing back on "he claims/she claims"). Since almost no one in the erotica business files for formal copyright, it's going slice erotica market offerings to shreds--including anything you wanted to put up to get it making money for you.

 

[DarthJulius]

Bullshit...

Such a sourpuss.