A big time lit theif. Recognize yours or others?

[sr71plt]

Once someone has moved a theft operation to the marketplace, I don't see why they'd expend energy posting stolen stories for free to Internet sites.

 

[lovecraft68]

Once someone has moved a theft operation to the marketplace, I don't see why they'd expend energy posting stolen stories for free to Internet sites.

That's why I am wondering if this is just another thief. At least this one isn't making any money off them

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

I spent an hour going through fotasampini's recent story postings. Any that I could confirm stolen got a post added to the comments like this for example:

Stop stealing writers stories and posting them as your own. Here is the link to where fotisampini stole this from:

http://www.literotica.com/s/sweet-summer-the-punishment

I also sent an email to xhamster informing them that she still uploads multiple stories at a time that are not hers. I sent them links & wrote that she has no ethics when it comes to copyright and has no problem uploading more stories that are not hers. I asked that she be banned from their site.

I wonder if they'll do it?

 

[HuckPilgrim]

Now....I don't know how they keep track of those things. Not sure if she could create another pen name there and start over or not, maybe I will ask.

In the US, your account is tied to your SSN, so I think she's toast unless she incorporates or gets someone else to let her use their SSN/account. It wouldn't be too hard to work around for self publishing, but it's probably not a feasible strategy for running a business that relies on stealing other writer's work.

I would be interested in hearing any response you get!

 

[lovecraft68]

In the US, your account is tied to your SSN, so I think she's toast unless she incorporates or gets someone else to let her use their SSN/account. It wouldn't be too hard to work around for self publishing, but it's probably not a feasible strategy for running a business that relies on stealing other writer's work.

I would be interested in hearing any response you get!

True, but you can get a EIN as a DBA from the IRS for free and its pretty easy. All SW would see is the EIN they cannot see the social behind it.

Amazon goes by IP address as well as SSN

I wonder if they have anything that would flag titles or pen name or other things.

She has years invested in the Turner pen name it would be a lot of work to change everything including social media.

 

[lovecraft68]

I am curious as to what SW will do with her royalties.

They pay quarterly so as of right now she is due for sales from April 1 to June 30th.

Now I doubt they are going to go the route of trying to figure out where the money is going to go and cut a bunch of $5 paypal payments.

Amazon is just going to pocket theirs, but I am wondering if SW might just pay her anyway to avoid hassle.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I am curious as to what SW will do with her royalties.

They pay quarterly so as of right now she is due for sales from April 1 to June 30th.

Now I doubt they are going to go the route of trying to figure out where the money is going to go and cut a bunch of $5 paypal payments.

Amazon is just going to pocket theirs, but I am wondering if SW might just pay her anyway to avoid hassle.

Amazon will probably pay her too, just to avoid a hassle.

 

[lovecraft68]

Amazon will probably pay her too, just to avoid a hassle.

No, they won't.

Amazon does what they want, period, the least of which is screw authors. They are in the process of a lawsuit, that if they win, and let's face it, they will, Bezos owns the damn courts, all royalties to not just indy authors, but I think big six as well will be drastically cut and of course they will get away with it.

End of the day they will pocket the money. I know this because they did it to someone I met there on their chat boards. Came up with a BS reason to block his account and pocketed the $800+ they owed him. What was he going to do, sue them.

 

[lovecraft68]

Down one more book this morning, but still has an account. That might end Monday when they're all back in the office.

 

[sr71plt]

The point being that the material didn't belong to E.F. Turner, I would think that Smashwords would escrow the money until someone could prove ownership of the individual titles (translation: they would bank the money, pocket the income off it, and eventually absorb it into their own profits).

 

[HuckPilgrim]

True, but you can get a EIN as a DBA from the IRS for free and its pretty easy. All SW would see is the EIN they cannot see the social behind it.

Amazon goes by IP address as well as SSN

I wonder if they have anything that would flag titles or pen name or other things.

She has years invested in the Turner pen name it would be a lot of work to change everything including social media.

Amazon? Once I left a review on one of my books at Amazon with an alt. Amazon posted the review, then yanked it within a few minutes. I was wondering WTF and was about to write in (as the alt identity) and complain, when I received an email at my publishing account, which is a completely different identity from Huck Pilgrim and from the alt I had been using for the review, and this message reiterated to me Amazon's policy about reviewing your own books. Hahaha. Amazon knows, dude. Amazon knows.

 

[lovecraft68]

The point being that the material didn't belong to E.F. Turner, I would think that Smashwords would escrow the money until someone could prove ownership of the individual titles (translation: they would bank the money, pocket the income off it, and eventually absorb it into their own profits).

I sent an e-mail saying any sales of the my book-the one that started this whole mess-from the last quarter should come to me. I more than proved who I am and that the work is mine.

I doubt it would be much. but its more the principle.

But the problem with the other stories is some of the authors may not be active here anymore. The guy from SW said he did try contacting 4 of them through let and three days later no one had responded to him

 

[Zeb_Carter]

No, they won't.

Amazon does what they want, period, the least of which is screw authors. They are in the process of a lawsuit, that if they win, and let's face it, they will, Bezos owns the damn courts, all royalties to not just indy authors, but I think big six as well will be drastically cut and of course they will get away with it.

End of the day they will pocket the money. I know this because they did it to someone I met there on their chat boards. Came up with a BS reason to block his account and pocketed the $800+ they owed him. What was he going to do, sue them.

Might be time to pull my books from there then, well at least the erotica.

 

[lovecraft68]

Might be time to pull my books from there then, well at least the erotica.

Here you can read up on it.

http://blog.smashwords.com/2014/05/amazons-hachette-dispute-foreshadows.html

I don't follow stuff like this too close because all it does it just piss me off. Whatever will happen will happen.

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

I spent an hour going through fotasampini's recent story postings. Any that I could confirm stolen got a post added to the comments like this for example:

Stop stealing writers stories and posting them as your own. Here is the link to where fotisampini stole this from:

http://www.literotica.com/s/sweet-summer-the-punishment

I also sent an email to xhamster informing them that she still uploads multiple stories at a time that are not hers. I sent them links & wrote that she has no ethics when it comes to copyright and has no problem uploading more stories that are not hers. I asked that she be banned from their site.

I wonder if they'll do it?

Just got a reply from them:

We will look into this.

We hope that this reply has been sufficient for you. If you have any further questions or feedback feel free to reply to this email.

xHamster Support Team

 

[lovecraft68]

Just got a reply from them:

We will look into this.

We hope that this reply has been sufficient for you. If you have any further questions or feedback feel free to reply to this email.

xHamster Support Team

Sounds like a "sufficient" reply to me!

 

[lovecraft68]

Well.....

Here's a big slap in the face from Amazon.

After having 280 books removed at the end of last week, not only does Turner still have an account, but published a new book yesterday.

http://www.amazon.com/Micahs-Reveng...?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404777610&sr=1-2

Most likely stolen as well.

Unbelievable does not even begin to describe this.

WTF?

 

[SandraMustard]

The opening lines (even allowing for name changes) does not show up any matches with a Google search.

 

[lovecraft68]

The opening lines (even allowing for name changes) does not show up any matches with a Google search.

Even if its not, they have received multiple complaints about her, did pull close to 300 books, she shouldn't still have an account up there at all. Anyone who has a lot of experience with amazon knows half the time they block people's accounts for any reason they can find.

This is a disgrace

 

[KittySlut4Him]

The opening lines (even allowing for name changes) does not show up any matches with a Google search.

Thats the oldest trick in the book - change the first paragraph around and suddenly it won't show up as stolen. Considering how much searching I did to find if stories were stolen I can tell you she did change around many of the first paragraphs - so I searched page 2 stuff and found it.

 

[Serafina1210]

Is the "E. F. Turner Kindle Store" down to two titles? It seems to be. "Micah's Revenge" (July 6) and "Coming of Age" (July 2, astonishingly illiterate thing, to judge from the first page).

 

[lovecraft68]

Thats the oldest trick in the book - change the first paragraph around and suddenly it won't show up as stolen. Considering how much searching I did to find if stories were stolen I can tell you she did change around many of the first paragraphs - so I searched page 2 stuff and found it.

It's the equivalence to "flipping" a stolen stock photo so people can't search it

 

[lovecraft68]

Is the "E. F. Turner Kindle Store" down to two titles? It seems to be. "Micah's Revenge" (July 6) and "Coming of Age" (July 2, astonishingly illiterate thing, to judge from the first page).

I do see only two which is good, but it is strange they posted a book on 7/6 when all this was in full motion

I had more correspondence with the guy from SW and he said she is still going back and forth with them in e-mails insisting these are her stories and mentioning her books predate lit releases.

I explained to him about how she was A VE and using that position to get people's work before publishing and showed him her page here where it says her account is banned.

getting banned from a free site like this is pretty telling

 

[SandraMustard]

Thats the oldest trick in the book - change the first paragraph around and suddenly it won't show up as stolen. Considering how much searching I did to find if stories were stolen I can tell you she did change around many of the first paragraphs - so I searched page 2 stuff and found it.

Well, I never said I was any good at investigating. Simple and quick is all I'm capable of. Good job to those who "endeavor to persevere."

 

[PennLady]

I do see only two which is good, but it is strange they posted a book on 7/6 when all this was in full motion

I had more correspondence with the guy from SW and he said she is still going back and forth with them in e-mails insisting these are her stories and mentioning her books predate lit releases.

I explained to him about how she was A VE and using that position to get people's work before publishing and showed him her page here where it says her account is banned.

getting banned from a free site like this is pretty telling

I don't know if it would help, but I could write to this guy myself, or give you a message to forward or something, about my story. It's only one, but I have original files, etc. My beta reader looked and said he had the copies I sent him as well.