WTF?

[plumtreeblossom]

I just discovered that one of my published short stories is being sold WITHOUT my consent on some poacher website: highbeam.com - see here. Someone on my friendlist posted a link to a9.com, which I'd never heard of, and I found the link through that. This highbeam.com appears to be one of those sleezy sites where students can buy essays, research papers, and creative writing to hand in for class and claim it's their own work. I'm infuriated.

This is the second time this particular short story has been pirated. It's true publisher (Antioch Review) published it only in hardcopy, so someone actually went about the business of retyping it to post. I don't care that I'm given credit -- this is theft and someone is potentially making money off my work. Not to mention the students who might be using it to cheat in their classes.

I need to get in touch with Antioch right away. They might not be able to do anything to help, but I own that damn copyright and I want my work OFF that pirate site.

Comments

[androidqueen.livejournal.com]

wow, that really sucks.

just out of curiosity, how would you feel if a different website (say, some sort of literary appreciation website -- i mean, i doubt they would, as i assume they would have more respect for the author than to post their stuff without permission, but hypothetically speaking:) had posted it freely for anyone to read, but didn't charge, and didn't advertise themselves as a place where students could plagiarize work?

i'm sorry if that sentence, which was far too long and weird, didn't make any sense. it's too early for a computer scientist to be awake, even with almost 2 cups of coffee in my belly. essentially the main question is: what if they weren't selling it? would that make you less angry? it *is* still theft, but at least they're not using to make money or encouraging other people to claim it as their own work.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't bother me if they weren't selling it. I wrote it to be read by people, and I have it and all of my previously published work on my website for exactly that purpose so people can read for free. What angers me is that someone is trying to make a profit from my copyright work without my consent. That's against the law.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

When it happened the first time (on NorthernLights.com) I found out too late to get in on the class action suit that the thousands of authors and their real publishers were filing. There might be one happening now with this one. I have to contact Antioch Review and find out if they know. I saw dozens of their authors' works on the pirate site, and they would never have given consent to that.