Ebook
marketplaces are great for self published authors who want to share their works
with the rest of the world. However, they do have some copyright infringement
considerations.
Now that it has recently come to light that many erotic
books sold on Amazons electronic book publishing platform contained content
that was copied from other books and websites found online, there are many who
are speculating as to how exactly online marketplaces that sell eBooks can
prevent infringing content from being sold on their sites.It is important that
websites that allow self published authors to sell eBooks on their platform
implement measures to prevent copied content from being sold, as this could
have an impact on the reputation of the platform and the entire electronic book
publishing industry as a whole.There are several proposed solutions to this
problem: Have clear policies on copyright infringement.Platforms that sell
eBooks on the internet need to make it clear to those who make eBooks available
through them that they will not tolerate infringing content on their platforms.Appropriate
action needs to be taken against those who sell pirated material.Reports
indicate that Amazon simply removed the adult Romance Books that contained
content that was copied word for word from free websites without actually
banning the account in question.Ebook platforms need to take reasonable steps
when a complaint for infringing content is received.A case of an eBook where
the author may have unknowingly included a copyrighted image in their book is
obviously different from someone who has uploaded dozens of eBooks for sale
which were copied word for word from other material found online.If possible,
works that have been submitted for sale through the platform should be reviewed
by humans before being allowed for sale.Look for warning signs such as a
description that is written in poor quality English accompanying content that
appears to be professionally written.There are also plenty of software
solutions which can be used to combat plagiarism.These check the text of eBooks
against materials published online, as well as a database of published physical
books.Such systems are widely available and are already used by universities
around the world to combat plagiarism.It is by having a zero tolerance policy
towards blatant plagiarismFree Web Content, plus the use of human verifiers and
automated tools that a website can ensure that works submitted by authors are
truly their own work.This in turn can have a positive effect on the eBook
industry as a whole and increase consumer confidence who will know that the
reading material they purchased online is truly original.