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I would rather see my books get pirated than this

janefriedman.com

11–20 of 517 posts

Re: I would rather see my books get pirated than this

#12
It's interesting as a lifetime low socioeconomic person, for whom (almost) the entire modern paradigm of social media and major web corporations are, and always have been, both socially and financially unaffordable.

I watch on from the outside, researching, reading and watching as I please (and yes, that means I am some kind of perma-pirate, I guess*), and all this kind of crap - waves hand in general direction of FAANG and co, and all the shit they've evolved society into, over the past 20 years - is Someone Else's Problem.

That Someone, being mainstream society, apparently. Well, some people say "vote with your wallet" - I say, vote with your lifestyle.

* don't get me wrong - I am happy to ethically self-justify, in terms of my lifetime holistic net inputs and outputs. And how many of us enjoy, for example, a video game emulation romset? - if so, then you're no different.

Re: I would rather see my books get pirated than this

#13

I'm confused why these "how to game Amazon e-books" e-books chose to impersonate a real person at all, and particularly someone very likely to notice and complain. This feels very on-the-nose.

Because you'll get a lot more hits registering your fake books under JK Rowling or Stephen King.

Re: I would rather see my books get pirated than this

#15
post #7

>I did file a report with Amazon, complaining that these books were using my name and reputation without my consent. Amazon’s response: “Please provide us with any trademark registration numbers that relate to your claim.” When I replied that I did not have a trademark for my name, they closed the case and said the books would not be removed from sale. I see you had a typical customer service experience with Amazon.…

Another, related, issue would be the existence of two authors with the same name who both publish under their birth names. I don't see how they could be a 'trade mark' so to speak unless there was an intent to commit identity theft which would be a separate issue (which appears to be the case here)

It appears as though you can trademark your own personal name only if you are using it to identify a service or product, not just in association with your artistic creations.

>Similarly, personal names (actual names and pseudonyms) of individuals or groups function as marks only if they identify and distinguish the services recited and not merely the individual or group. In re Mancino, 219 USPQ 1047 (TTAB 1983) (holding that BOOM BOOM would be viewed by the public solely as applicant’s professional boxing nickname and not as an identifier of the service of conducting professional boxing exhibitions); In re Lee Trevino Enters., 182 USPQ 253 (TTAB 1974) (LEE TREVINO used merely to identify a famous professional golfer rather than as a mark to identify and distinguish any services rendered by him); In re Generation Gap Prods., Inc., 170 USPQ 423 (TTAB 1971) (GORDON ROSE used only to identify a particular individual and not as a service mark to identify the services of a singing group). The name of a character or person is registrable as a service mark if the record shows that it is used in a manner that would be perceived by purchasers as identifying the services in addition to the character or person. In re Fla. Cypress Gardens Inc., 208 USPQ 288 (TTAB 1980) (name CORKY THE CLOWN used on handbills found to function as a mark to identify live performances by a clown, where the mark was used to identify not just the character but also the act or entertainment service performed by the character); In re Carson, 197 USPQ 554 (TTAB 1977) (individual’s name held to function as mark, where specimen showed use of the name in conjunction with a reference to services and information as to the location and times of performances, costs of tickets, and places where tickets could be purchased); In re Ames, 160 USPQ 214 (TTAB 1968) (name of musical group functions as mark, where name was used on advertisements that prominently featured a photograph of the group and gave the name, address, and telephone number of the group’s booking agent); In re Folk, 160 USPQ 213 (TTAB 1968) (THE LOLLIPOP PRINCESS functions as a service mark for entertainment services, namely, telling children’s stories by radio broadcasting and personal appearances).

Re: I would rather see my books get pirated than this

#16

>I did file a report with Amazon, complaining that these books were using my name and reputation without my consent. Amazon’s response: “Please provide us with any trademark registration numbers that relate to your claim.” When I replied that I did not have a trademark for my name, they closed the case and said the books would not be removed from sale. I see you had a typical customer service experience with Amazon.…

Assuming they dont just have the same name but are intentionally impersonating you - sounds like fraud, false advertising or identity theft [ianal]

Re: I would rather see my books get pirated than this

#18

Sounds like an Amazon problem, not an AI problem. Amazon doesn't seem to curate their marketplace at all. It's full of fake products and no-name chinese vendors selling low-quality goods.

Might as well go to aliexpress and buy from the original source for a 50% discount.

True, but then you gotta wait until next month instead of next day.

Amazon's delivery network is the biggest thing they have going for them.

Re: I would rather see my books get pirated than this

#20
post #19

Who on earth would buy a book written by ChatGPT from Amazon? Unless they thought they weren't.

I went looking for childrens books. Some titles looked good. But if you view the preview .... complete trash. Must cost nothing to upload, and you might get some suckers that don't realize.
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