What is all this about?

There are many ebooks on sale on ebay. Most of them are fraudulent. This is a campaign to prevent online auction website from selling ebooks.

Copyright theft

I am an online origami artist. My website has many instructions on how to fold paper. I provide these totally free. My only request is that users respect my copyrighted material. That means that it is against the law to use any of my work without my permission. This is true for every other writer and artist out there.

Many ebooks have been made using copyrighted material without the writers permission. Every day on ebay I see a number of ebooks being sold containing work that I recognise as my own. I also see work belonging to other origami artists. We have not been paid for these ebooks - this is theft! I believe that most ebooks on sale breach copyright in this way. Here is an example.

Con-Artists

My girlfriend bought what she thought was an iPod-nano on an eBay auction. The seller changed the description shortly before the close of the auction to add the line 'This item is an eBook and delivered electronically'. Thankfully, this criminal did not get paid - my girlfriend nealy lost £49.
There are many examples like this scattered throughout ebay. Many con-artists sell items that look like expensive goods, but in reality, you are bidding on an email.

What can I do?

  • First of all, if you are selling ebooks using my copyright material, STOP. The same goes for anyone elses material on the internet. Just because it is presented free of charge, it doesn't mean you can sell it as your own. See what ebay has to say about downloadable material.
  • DON'T buy ebooks on ebay. Unless the seller owns the copyright, they are stolen goods.
  • If you are selling eBooks on ebay, state that you own the copyright to the material.
  • If you are thinking on bidding for an ebay item, make sure the item is not a 'guide' or 'ebook'. Always read the ebay Buyer's guide and Safety centre.
  • Be careful when you are bidding on items with free postage!
  • If you have been sold such an ebook, let ebay and PayPal know about it.

My Campaign

So far, I am just starting off my campaign. What you can do to show me support is to email me your name and website address if you have one. I will post your comments on this site if you'd like me to. In the near future, I will add message boards and increase the publicity if I get decent support.

You can also help by adding a link or banner to this page. Here's how:


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Many thanks for your support,

Stephen O'Hanlon
Editor, Fishgoth.com

Legal note: This website is not part of ebay nor does it represent any services offered by ebay. The editor is an occasional user of ebay. Aside from any examples in the text above, the editor has no conflicts of interest and recieves no income nor sponsorship from any groups. All content of this website belongs to the editor and is subject to international copyright laws.