Scibbd.com

[solas]

Not sure if anyone has posted about this site before but I just subscribed (?$7.99 a month) and find the resources are great as I have to do a lot of research. Of course I rely on purchasing from Amazon and have dozens of online resources but this site is great!

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Writer Beware reported them about a month ago, I think, for having a lot of pirated content on their site. They claimed that they are trying to remove it, but since it's not the first time they've been busted with their hands in the cookie jar, I wouldn't hold my breath. I'll try to find the link to the post and put it up here.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Ok, here's the link to the Writer Beware post -
Writer Beware®: The Blog: Scribd's New Ebook Subscription Service: Partnering with Publishers, Profiting from Piracy

To quote from the post,

All across the Scribd website, there are illegally uploaded, copyrighted files that you can only read in their entirety if you start paying Scribd, which doesn’t pay authors anything for those uploads.

and here is the response from Scribd, posted on Publishers Weekly -
Scribd Responds to Writer Beware on Pirated Content

It's worth noting that while Scribd admits there is a problem and claims to be actively trying to fix it, they also claim that they cannot police all the works users have uploaded onto their site, but seem to be happy to profit from both legitimate and pirated works at the same time.

There are other services coming available which, while perhaps a couple dollars more a month, look to be more scrupulous and more author-friendly.

 

[solas]

This is the former "draoi". I had to register again due to password issues that I could not resolve. I am aware of piracy issues on Scribd.com and never share my resources with other people. I actually downloaded a book for research and I contacted the author who told me it was pirated but was kind enough to allow me to keep it at no charge. So I contact authors before downloading.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

This is the former "draoi". I had to register again due to password issues that I could not resolve. I am aware of piracy issues on Scribd.com and never share my resources with other people. I actually downloaded a book for research and I contacted the author who told me it was pirated but was kind enough to allow me to keep it at no charge. So I contact authors before downloading.

Which is very considerate of you. But I think you might be missing the point. By paying for a subscription to services that carry pirated content, you encourage this practice, rather than give them an incentive to change by taking your business elsewhere. Your subscription payment covers everything, whether or not you download a pirated book - the service doesn't care, because they still get your money. Other services that, so far, do not carry pirated content also offer authors better terms of payment for the inclusion of their work.

Also, as a writer (and I am assuming you are one since you are on this site), by taking a stand against pirating and for better treatment of authors, you are making in investment in your own professional future, because someday your own books will be included in these services. You have to ask yourself, do you want to be paid for your work, or do you want to have a pirated version being offered to readers who may not be as considerate or aware as you are?

 

[AWAbooks]

Thank you for bringing this to light. We might not realize a resource is from The Dark Side, but once it's pointed out, its up to us to try to do the right thing

 

[solas]

I do not feel I encourage the practice of piracy especially when the website is attempting to fix the issue. I only select books and documents that have no copyright infringements and what I pay for the subscription has been well worth the money.