And EBAY and PAYPAL are just fine with it, because THEY profit from the theft.
Bootleggers on eBay are SO brazen, they steal from SENATORS.
Here's a different parasite pickpocketing Al Franken, with EBAY and PAYPAL acting as pimps, looking out and guarding the crook and taking a percentage:
What if Al Franken called up eBay (1-866-540-3229) and said, "Somebody is bootlegging my book. Take the auction off."
He'd be speaking to a sing-song cheerful voice from Pakistan, perhaps. "Oh dear," sings the voice, "my goodness! Well, you'll have to contact vero@ebay.com, fill out some forms, and report the auction number!"
Senator Franken says:
"Why don't you contact the seller and ask him to show you proof of licensing...not only from ME and my publisher, but for the other FIFTEEN authors he's bootlegging?"
"Sorry," sings the voice, "as a United States Senator, you should know about the weak DMCA rules that have not changed in all these years. Over the past 15 years or more, eBay's become the 9th biggest Internet company in the world, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos the 2nd richest man IN THE WORLD. And many entertainment companies have been swallowed up by Internet giants!
"We are under NO legal obligation to ask a seller to prove he has licensing. HOWEVER, we will force YOU to give us all the proof. Otherwise, go fuck yourself."
Oh, the sing-song voice in Pakistan might not say "go fuck yourself." One of eBay's charmers who work the phones in some other part of the world would. Like Ireland. If you hear an Irish accent when you dial up phone support, be polite. He might get testy REAL fast and start cursing.
PS, as far as eBay is concerned, even though it is technically against their rules to offer digital books, they do NOT make it easy for anyone to file a report. There is NO drop-down menu for "report seller." You are expected to spend a half hour tediously reporting EACH...AUCTION...NUMBER.
Back to our story of PAYPAL AND EBAY stealing and cheating authors (and other copyright owners).
The playing field not only isn't LEVEL, it's SLANTED toward the thieves.
Some jerk on eBay can even say "I own the rights" or "I am licensed" and this PERJURY is not questioned.
Like THIS bastard, who gets a fresh identity every other week:
Harper Lee's book is copyrighted. Her publisher HAS a VeRO rep who shuts down liars and cheats. But THIS prick still has the nerve to write:
Guess what. If caught, eBay and Paypal do NOT automatically suspend the seller.
They often give a slap on the wrist, and tell the seller not to sell bootlegs. The seller, of course, will continue a few more times, then abandon the seller ID for a new one.
If a VeRO rep points out, "This seller has a dozen accounts," the VeRO department will play STUPID.
No kidding. Either that, or offer a form paragraph, something like, "We have sent your concern along (to who, they never tell you). VeRO can not take further action. We can not advise on what action, if any, has been taken against the seller, due to privacy concerns."
In other words, this is collusion. This is aiding and abetting criminal activity. This is eBay making money with a criminal, and their twisted step-sister Paypal gets a cut, too.
Senator Franken might want to consider "playing by the rules," stacked against him and all copyright owners, and simply figure, "OK, I'm NOT smart enough to outwit the system...and doggone it, not me, not Senator Leahy, not anyone can get a DMCA law passed. And Paypal is NOT going to suck back the money in this bootlegger's bank account and give it to me. But surely, Paypal will make it as easy for ME to file a complaint as it they make it for a BOOTLEGGER to get an account and start selling."
NO, Senator Franken. NOT AT ALL.
The playing field is not level. PAYPAL makes it crooked, and in favor of the criminals. A criminal gets a Paypal account in a minute, gets an eBay account in a minute, and can make hundreds of dollars in an hour, just by STEALING FROM COPYRIGHT OWNERS. All the money HE KEEPS.
You, Senator Franken, had better sharpen your pencil and send in the PAYPAL form.
Yes, contact aup@paypal.com, and they will send you THIS form, which you better fill out to their liking:
Is that clear?
The CRIMINAL does NOT have to prove he owns copyright or is licensed.
The COPYRIGHT OWNER has to.
PAYPAL is on the side of the CRIMINAL because they are getting a percentage.
When, Senator Franken, is the copyright owner in America going to have the same rights as a THIEF?
Can you imagine this going on in the REAL WORLD?
"Excuse me, there seem to be a dozen roach parts in every brand of peanut butter. Isn't the FDA supposed to do something about this?"
"Er, no, we trust the companies to keep roach parts out of the peanut butter. And we have no idea if those are roach parts you are seeing. Hire a lab, pay for the analysis of 50 jars of peanut butter in various states and factories, and have it certified that you found roach parts. We will then warn the sellers not to keep doing this. However if they change the name on the label, start over again."
You can be white or black, Christian or Jew, you WILL be stolen from on EBAY and with PAYPAL. You will be a slave. Your complaints will get you hostile stares, incredulous glares, and a lot of apathy. Like the bullies they are, EBAY and PAYPAL (and GOOGLE and the rest) will say, "Dance, Nigger, Dance. Right through this hoop, Nigger. Now THIS hoop, Nigger. Now any time you have a problem you Dance Nigger. And if you do it just right, we MIGHT take action. Or ignore it for a while longer if you ain't polite enough, Nigger. And then you'll do it all over again."
How long before these two bootleggers are suspended?
How much money do they, eBay and Paypal make and keep before the hoop-jumping is considered JUST RIGHT?
When do the two bootlegger come back under fresh aliases?
The answer is simple enough.
NO FASCISTS SHOULD HAVE THE POWER TO BULLY.
In this case, the law should be on the side of the copyright owners. Ebay should be required to make sure their sellers are NOT engaging in perjury. Ebay should be required, in cases where bootlegging or other crimes are very likely going on, to make sure the sellers have PROOF of licensing.
PAYPAL should hold onto money on any seller involved in such things as PDF and EPUB copies of books, and KEEP the money on a new eBay account for 60 days until the seller proves honesty and does not have a VeRO complaint.
PAYPAL should return all questionable money to the publisher or to a designated charity.
There is no excuse, NONE, for some prick in Estonia or some twat in California to be tossing Senator Al Franken's book or Harper Lee's book around and keeping ALL THE ROYALTIES.
BOOTLEGGING is ILLEGAL. BOOTLEGGERS should not be CODDLED by arrogant FASCISTS.
Senator Franken, you want to talk this over with Senator Leahy and your pal Senator Warren, and a few others?
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