a guest post by John Abadi of FileSecurePro
eBook theft and intellectual property piracy is on the rise. It’s a lucrative activity that is nearly impossible to prosecute and thus provides ample motivation for an eBook thief. If you’re selling an eBook online, you need to be aware of how you can be ripped off — but also how you can protect yourself and your business.
Lets define an E-book thief as:
1) Someone who plagiarizes your work and/or resells your product to collect money from customers who believe they are buying from you.
2) A competitor who wishes to undermine your business and anonymously posts your product on a file sharing site where it can be downloaded freely.
3) A customer who buys your ebook with a stolen credit card resulting in a credit card charge back.
4) A customer who buys your ebook with the intention to ‘return’ it after making a copy.
If you are considering a protection solution for your eBook or sensitive documents, make sure it meets the following 5 requirements. And if not, KEEP LOOKING. A comprehensive ebook protection solution…
1.MUST prevent file access for unauthorized individuals, password sharing and illegal file distribution.
2.MUST prevent unauthorized copying reproduction of your PDF documents.
3.MUST prevent uncontrolled printing and redistilling of PDF documents.
4.MUST prevent access from refunded or fraudulent users.
5.MUST allow easy set-up and use, so as not be a hassle for your customers.
(For more details on these 5 requirements, see http://file-secure.com/real_protection.php)
Putting a watermark on a document is a great idea. BUT unfortunately on its own, this provides virtually no protection. Here’s why. Do you have the time to monitor the hundreds of file sharing sites like Pirate Bay to find your ebook ‘in the wild’? And once you find it, what do you do next? It’s nearly impossible to get a file sharing site to remove copyrighted material. And it’s probably a moot point anyway. Your intellectual property may have already been downloaded thousands of times and in the hands of your competitors or other thieves. You can’t un-ring that bell. And in the unlikely scenario that you can actually discover who the thief is, how do you go after them? What if they live in another country? You will need to hire a lawyer in that country to pursue it further. This adds up to a major waste of time, energy and money.
The takeaway is this: PREVENTION is the only real solution.
File Secure Pro (www.protectyourfile.com) was created to prevent this scenario from happening. Our customers are commercial ebook sellers, corporations, Internet marketers, private newsletter publishers, writers, lawyers, accountants, and health care providers who are required to be HIPAA compliant.\
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Abadi has over over 20 years in the software development industry and since 2001 has been active in the development and management of web based businesses. File Secure Pro which was founded in 2001 by Anthony Ellis after he suffered years of document theft and copyright infringement. To combat this, the File Secure Pro system was developed, allowing authors to securely distribute, monitor and control usage of their intellectual property. In 2005 File Secure Pro was made available as a commercial service and has been serving customers in the corporate, legal, distance learning and other industries needing intellectual property theft protection.
Please visit http://www.protectyourfile.com to learn how you can start protecting your information today.