Ebook theft – How can you protect your online written works?

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Ebook theft – How can you protect your online written works?

Ebook theft is one of the hottest topics in the book industry—and no wonder.

The Society of Authors, UK association, has called chicken little on the book industry by suggesting that internet piracy will cause authors to stop writing.

How do writers protect ebooks?

Copyright has always been a volatile matter. By merely placing your name as the byline after the title of an article or book you’ve written, you’re claiming ownership. How easy is it to remove that name and replace it with another?

The simplest old-fashioned way to prove copyright of a document is to write a letter containing ownership information and post it. The letter would read:

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter states that I am the author of XXXX.

The title of this work is XXXXX, by (my name).

I completed writing this work on (date).

Sincerely yours,

(printed name and signature)

Address it to yourself and when it arrives in your mailbox with a postal registration stamp as proof that it was sent through the U.S. Postal Service, attach the envelope to the document and file it in your security box where you keep other legal documents.

Ebook theft can occur from simple pdf file copying after the file has been downloaded to a hard drive.

Although the file may be a “read-only” or protected by a password with only one download permissible, once it’s archived on another person's hard drive, it’s easy to copy it and remove the author’s name.

Register your ebook as if it were a printed published work with the U.S. Copyright Office
Use the same procedure as for a published or still “unpublished” hard copy book. Make two printed copies of the document, fill out the TX Form that can be obtained on the U.S. Copyright Registration website. Send it with a check for $45.00.

Eventually you will receive a copyright certificate for this work.

Do these methods actually prevent piracy?
Of course not. If a person wants to plagiarize or steal intellectual property, they’ll find a way to do it; but at least you’ve properly protected yourself with appropriate documentation. Then, if a situation should arise, you will be prepared to deliver these documents to a reputable entertainment attorney.

For an excellent online article about ebook theft and copyright protection, click here.

More excellent links about protecting your ebooks:

Profitavenue.com

Directlegal.com

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