4 ms·

For what it's worth, it's not Amazon, but a highly scammy-seeming Amazon merchant: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/at-a-glance.html?ie=UTF8&seller=AG56TWVU

by Cushman 15y ago

For what it's worth, it's not Amazon, but a highly scammy-seeming Amazon merchant: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/at-a-glance.html?ie=UTF8&seller=AG56TWVU5XWC2 http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/at-a-glance.html?ie=UTF... ("Amazon Digital Services, Inc. US") It's hard to believe Amazon lets merchants have "Amazon" in their name, but there it is. If you don't get a reply from someone at AZ in a timely manner, I imagine you could go ahead and file a DMCA takedown as the copyright owner. They're making your copyrighted material available for download without your permission— This is exactly what it's for.

nirvana 15y ago
Amazon Digital Services Inc, is, in fact a subsidiary Amazon.com. Here's a lawsuit filing, which cites this corporate entity as being domiciled in delaware: http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/candce/4:2011cv01327/238522/38/ http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/califor... More than once in the past, I've seen Amazon sell things on its own store using its own merchant "seller" accounts. This is a convenience for smaller divisions within amazon that want to sell using Amazon.com without setting up custom code on the Amazon.com store system (presumably.) For instance, here's the page for the Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Special-Offers-Wireless-Reader/dp/B004HFS6Z0/ref=amb_link_357152122_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=177MR8VN2HP9Q2CZ06MH&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1314296822&pf_rd_i=507846 http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Special-Offers-Wireless-Reader/... Which contains the text: "In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon Digital Services. Gift-wrap available." Here's a kindle game they developed, with Amazon Digital Services as the creator: http://www.amazon.com/Every-Word/dp/B003P37FW0/ref=kin3w_ddp_ac_1?pf_rd_p=1295151982&pf_rd_s=center-52&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B004HFS6Z0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1271XAX22C1TTQDNAVPA http://www.amazon.com/Every-Word/dp/B003P37FW0/ref=kin3w_ddp... Delaware lets you search corporations online: https://delecorp.delaware.gov/tin/GINameSearch.jsp https://delecorp.delaware.gov/tin/GINameSearch.jsp This let me confirm they exist (file 3892327) but doesn't show ownership or other info about them.
nikcub 15y ago
It is usually recommended to send a friendly email first, but I would skip that step with Amazon since they have an entire department and process built around receiving and acting on copyright claims under the DMCA. You need to email copyright@amazon.com The template to use is something like this: http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/09/dmca-notice-of-copyright-infringement.html http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/09/dmca-notice-of-copyright-... You need to sign it, either physically or by dropping an image into the claim document (do it as a Word document or Google doc). Remember that it is a legal document, so you must be sure ('in good faith') that the claim is accurate, which may require that you either purchase a copy of the infringing book or downloading the sample to confirm that it is your content. You can get more information at the bottom of this page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=footer_cou?ie=UTF8&nodeId=508088 http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=foot... (note: while I have sent out DMCA requests previously, I have never had to send one to Amazon, but the process is similar to dealing with other service providers)
acangiano 15y ago
Actually, "Sold by: Amazon Digital Services" only means that it's a digital file delivered via the Kindle ditribution platform. For example, our book http://www.amazon.com/Programmare-Python-Italian-ebook/dp/B004E3XGC8/ http://www.amazon.com/Programmare-Python-Italian-ebook/dp/B0... lists ThinkCode.TV as the publisher but it's still sold by Amazon Digital Services. This is true regardless of whether the book is self-published or not (e.g., http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004IYIUN8/ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004IYIUN8/). What's happening here is that someone took the freely available book and published it via Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing, http://kdp.amazon.com/ http://kdp.amazon.com/). Violations like this happen all the time and Amazon hates them. Simply contact them with a DMCA notice and they'll remove it right away. It used to be common for people to publish no longer copyrighted classics and other freely available content through KDP. Nothing illegal about it, but people were so eager to make a quick buck for no work that it quickly got out of hand. The Kindle Store was inundated with such content, so Amazon had to become much more selective about it. PRO Tip: Always include a message in your free ebooks (unless you allow commercial use) that if the digital copy of the book was sold, and not obtained for free, the reader should ask immediately for a refund and let you know about the violators. Most scammers are too lazy to go into the book and change it.
- latch 15y ago
  Thanks...I'm glad the company named is cleared up. I did send a takedown notice on the 6th and haven't heard anything back. Re the pro-tip..I did stick the license at the top..but, ya, that isn't very clear. In The Little MongoDB Book, I very clearly state that "You should not have paid for this book"
  - michael_dorfman 15y ago
    Why don't you telephone them? There is a telephone number given, along with detailed instructions of what to do in case of a copyright violation. I'm a little surprised you'd write a blog post and get HN involved before picking up the phone.
    - 15y ago
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]

by Cushman 15y ago

nirvana 15y ago

Amazon Digital Services Inc, is, in fact a subsidiary Amazon.com. Here's a lawsuit filing, which cites this corporate entity as being domiciled in delaware: http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/candce/4:2011cv01327/238522/38/ http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/califor... More than once in the past, I've seen Amazon sell things on its own store using its own merchant "seller" accounts. This is a convenience for smaller divisions within amazon that want to sell using Amazon.com without setting up custom code on the Amazon.com store system (presumably.) For instance, here's the page for the Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Special-Offers-Wireless-Reader/dp/B004HFS6Z0/ref=amb_link_357152122_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=177MR8VN2HP9Q2CZ06MH&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1314296822&pf_rd_i=507846 http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Special-Offers-Wireless-Reader/... Which contains the text: "In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon Digital Services. Gift-wrap available." Here's a kindle game they developed, with Amazon Digital Services as the creator: http://www.amazon.com/Every-Word/dp/B003P37FW0/ref=kin3w_ddp_ac_1?pf_rd_p=1295151982&pf_rd_s=center-52&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B004HFS6Z0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1271XAX22C1TTQDNAVPA http://www.amazon.com/Every-Word/dp/B003P37FW0/ref=kin3w_ddp... Delaware lets you search corporations online: https://delecorp.delaware.gov/tin/GINameSearch.jsp https://delecorp.delaware.gov/tin/GINameSearch.jsp This let me confirm they exist (file 3892327) but doesn't show ownership or other info about them.

nikcub 15y ago

It is usually recommended to send a friendly email first, but I would skip that step with Amazon since they have an entire department and process built around receiving and acting on copyright claims under the DMCA. You need to email copyright@amazon.com The template to use is something like this: http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/09/dmca-notice-of-copyright-infringement.html http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/09/dmca-notice-of-copyright-... You need to sign it, either physically or by dropping an image into the claim document (do it as a Word document or Google doc). Remember that it is a legal document, so you must be sure ('in good faith') that the claim is accurate, which may require that you either purchase a copy of the infringing book or downloading the sample to confirm that it is your content. You can get more information at the bottom of this page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=footer_cou?ie=UTF8&nodeId=508088 http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=foot... (note: while I have sent out DMCA requests previously, I have never had to send one to Amazon, but the process is similar to dealing with other service providers)

acangiano 15y ago

Actually, "Sold by: Amazon Digital Services" only means that it's a digital file delivered via the Kindle ditribution platform. For example, our book http://www.amazon.com/Programmare-Python-Italian-ebook/dp/B004E3XGC8/ http://www.amazon.com/Programmare-Python-Italian-ebook/dp/B0... lists ThinkCode.TV as the publisher but it's still sold by Amazon Digital Services. This is true regardless of whether the book is self-published or not (e.g., http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004IYIUN8/ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004IYIUN8/). What's happening here is that someone took the freely available book and published it via Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing, http://kdp.amazon.com/ http://kdp.amazon.com/). Violations like this happen all the time and Amazon hates them. Simply contact them with a DMCA notice and they'll remove it right away. It used to be common for people to publish no longer copyrighted classics and other freely available content through KDP. Nothing illegal about it, but people were so eager to make a quick buck for no work that it quickly got out of hand. The Kindle Store was inundated with such content, so Amazon had to become much more selective about it. PRO Tip: Always include a message in your free ebooks (unless you allow commercial use) that if the digital copy of the book was sold, and not obtained for free, the reader should ask immediately for a refund and let you know about the violators. Most scammers are too lazy to go into the book and change it.

latch 15y ago
Thanks...I'm glad the company named is cleared up. I did send a takedown notice on the 6th and haven't heard anything back. Re the pro-tip..I did stick the license at the top..but, ya, that isn't very clear. In The Little MongoDB Book, I very clearly state that "You should not have paid for this book"
- michael_dorfman 15y ago
  Why don't you telephone them? There is a telephone number given, along with detailed instructions of what to do in case of a copyright violation. I'm a little surprised you'd write a blog post and get HN involved before picking up the phone.
  - 15y ago

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]