Illegal PDF book selling: how to reduce it drastically via Ebay selling template

[innersunshine]

I'm now aware sellers are selling recent books in PDF form, books for which the seller has no copyright. 

Easy way to reduce this:

- Tweak Ebay selling selling to flag the terms "pdf" and "book" "publication" "ebook"

- seller does not get any error message.  They get a MODIFIED SELLING TEMPLATE

- the template has additional fields above or below the description.  One or more must be checked or the item cannot be sold becuse it's illegal.

- The box options:

A)  I am the author of this book.  I am selling eBook or PDF of my own book.  My real name is [they must provide their real name and it must match Ebay real name on account AND match the book author's name]

B)  I am the publisher or authorized agent for this book's author.  My name is [real name, but does not have to match author's name].  The company selling this digital book on Ebay is [name of company and ideally adress and phone.  Phone must match Ebay seller's phone on record].  The real author receives royalties on each book sold by me.  [This way real author can contest their stolen property.]

C)  This book is over 50 years old and is out of copyright. 

D)  Am I missing anything?  What else?  Your comments invited. 

[gwzcomps]

I may be wrong but I would assume you could file a VERO complaint if you are the copyright owner.

[krazzykats]

If outside the Electronically delivered items policy

You can report the unauthorized item(s) at the bottom of the same page. 

[7606dennis]

I would advise the OP to check current copyright law at the US Copyright Office website.

[luckythewinner]

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@innersunshine wrote:

Your comments invited. 

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I think that an almost infinite number of people outside eBay could come up with an almost infinite number of things that they think would solve a problem on eBay. 

[luckythewinner]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@innersunshine wrote:

Your comments invited. 

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I think that an almost infinite number of people outside eBay could come up with an almost infinite number of things that they think would solve a problem on eBay. 

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As for your specific proposal, I am not an expert in eBooks or how the reselling business works. But I do not know that royalties are not always paid to the author for each eBooks sold. Sometimes the author has sold those rights to someone else. 

[7606dennis]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@innersunshine wrote:

Your comments invited. 

---

I think that an almost infinite number of people outside eBay could come up with an almost infinite number of things that they think would solve a problem on eBay. 

---

As for your specific proposal, I am not an expert in eBooks or how the reselling business works. But I do not know that royalties are not always paid to the author for each eBooks sold. Sometimes the author has sold those rights to someone else. 

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While it is true that the original owner of the copyright may sell, lease or grant the use of such rights to another, I believe that that action must be done in writing prior to any use of the material.

[bimm_corp]

Nice try, but eBay will never go for it. Seller gets money, eBay get fees, buyer gets book cheap, everybody's happy. Why would eBay change something that makes them money. BTW, I think the copyright is 100 years. At least that's what is was for sheet music when I sold it.

[chapeau-noir]

Books going into the public domain is a little complicated.  It's 96 years unless the item was not copyrighted within 5 years previous to ?1976-77, or renewed after 28 years for publications before some date in the 1960s that I don't recall.

[luckythewinner]

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@7606dennis wrote:

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@innersunshine wrote:

Your comments invited. 

---

I think that an almost infinite number of people outside eBay could come up with an almost infinite number of things that they think would solve a problem on eBay. 

---

As for your specific proposal, I am not an expert in eBooks or how the reselling business works. But I do not know that royalties are not always paid to the author for each eBooks sold. Sometimes the author has sold those rights to someone else. 

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While it is true that the original owner of the copyright may sell, lease or grant the use of such rights to another, I believe that that action must be done in writing prior to any use of the material.

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The OP offered three options (a), (b), and (c) and asked whether he was "missing anything".

The situation you describe - a licensing deal that could grant royalties to someone other than the author - does not fit into any of those three options.