Bootleg Booksfrom Indoe Books

Was I ever surprised to learn that one of my print-only books was available as a free, downloadable PDF file.

My AutoCAD LT 2006: The Definitive Guide is published as a softcover book by Wordware Publishing, but Indoe Books is making it available free -- along with many other books. Indoe Books is run by M Tandiono ([email protected]) of Jakarta Indonesia.

And not a scan of the printed book, either, but the original PDF. Complete with a page of self-ads from Wordware at the back of the book.

What puzzles me is how they got hold of the original PDF. (Some authors, like me, today send their publisher their manuscripts as PDF files via FTP.) The PDF is in limited circulation. There should be just three copies of the file:

-- I have the original (dated Apr 2006).
-- the publisher has a copy, and added the page of advertising
-- the printing plant has a copy, printing it in July 2006.

The bootleg PDF has an origin date of Sept 2006. Why do I think it is a bootleg? Read how Indoe Books describes its service:

This site has many ebooks to download for FREE, yeah…it’s absolutely free. Disclaimer: You Must Delete all resources you downloaded from this site.

The IndoeBooks text file accompanying the download of my book contains this disclaimer:

You Must Delete all resources you downloaded from this site within 24 hours. If You like the Books Please buy original edition, otherwise laws problems take in hand by yourself. All resources offered by this website are collected through the internet and exchanged between peers for personal study. Use of any resources offered for commercial purposes is prohibited. Other wise you need to responsible for any consequences produced! We are only offer an environment of communion and study and We won't bear any legal responsibility for the resources.

I am working on contacting Wordware and Indoe Books.

Comments

[Jason]

Question is where's the printing plant....China?

If the PDF went over there for printing, its not surprising someone bootlegged it.

[ralphg]

Jason: that's a good theory. But my author copies of the book report they were printed in the United States of America.

Both of my book publishers -- Delmar (Autodesk Press) and Wordware -- still use printing plants in the USA.

[Tyler]

Network security issues at the plant/publisher? If they're in the business of attaining books for illegal online publishing, you'll bet your ass they'll try to have a system set up to steal files from the publishers/printers. I would go so far as to say that the people developed the network/software technique for stealing files from these companies and through that developed the site