Help! My digital files are on this website without my permission. Who do I tell?

First, read my previous post on How to report a website that is pirating your work.

After you have taken screen shots so you have evidence, you can let Google know so they can remove the links. Or you can wait until after you have contacted any (or all) of the agencies below. It’s up to you as to how far you want to pursue this or how much time and energy you wish to expend on reporting pirates.

I took screen shots and notified the website, www.general-ebooks.com that they had my copyrighted works on their website without my permission. I contacted them via their web forms as well as through email. It took a few days but they eventually removed all of my eBooks.

I contacted my District Attorney’s office and eventually they replied back. This is what they told me:

This is what the District Attorney’s Office told me (my personal information has been removed)
“If you are a victim of a telecommunications crime, there are several avenues you can follow for investigative assistance. Local law enforcement authorities respond to citizen complaints within their own local jurisdiction. If you are seeking an investigation or wish to file a criminal complaint, contact information for your local law enforcement authorities is:

Contact your local Sheriff’s department (They provided me with contact information, which I removed)

Additionally, you may find it helpful to obtain the identity and contact information for the actual owner of the website. This kind of search is commonly known as a “whois” search. Numerous web pages and online services provide instructions or offer to help with this service for a fee. I am not at liberty to recommend or vouch for any nongovernmental sites, but if you visit an online search engine and search for “whois” you should find a number of options. Please review the information below on “whois” databases:

http://www.icann.org
http://www.icann.org/en/resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whois

In addition, there are numerous federal agencies that were created to address intellectual property theft and internet related complaints. The agencies listed below may be of assistance to you:

National Crime Prevention Council
Website: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/intellectual-property-theft/where-to-report-intellectual-property-theft

Homeland Security Investigations
National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center
Telephone: 1-866-IPR-2060, or 1-866-477-2060
Website: http://www.iprcenter.gov
Email: IPRCenter@dhs.gov
Telephone: 1-866-IPR-2060

U.S. Department of Justice
Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section
Telephone: (202) 514-1026
Website: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/cybercrime
How To Report: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/cybercrime/reporting.html

Federal Trade Commission
Toll-free: (877) 382-4357
Website: http://www.ftc.gov

Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Website: http://www.ic3.gov

Finally, because our office is not at liberty to give legal opinions or advice to private individuals or businesses, please consider consulting a private attorney if you need legal guidance.”

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Diana

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