That is scary! Good luck on getting this resolved. It seems like the retailers would be more willing to try and help out with something like this.
What I just got:Dear (Rep's Name),
Thank you for prompt response, and for your assistance with this matter. I appreciate Amazon's careful attention to copyright issues.
Please find attached a DMCA counter-notice.
The DMCA notice you received from Rajesh Lahoti was fraudulent. Shortly after Amazon blocked my book from sale, Rajesh Lahoti initiated contact with me through my website, using an alias. He offered to help me with my "DMCA problem." I believe he is using the DMCA process as part of a scam.
I hope this matter can be resolved quickly. Please let me know if you have questions or need anything else from me. For instance, I have a signed hard copy of my counter-notice, which I would be happy to mail in.
Sincerely,
(Me)
So, there's the answer to that question: Amazon does not consider itself legally bound by the DMCA counter-noticing provision.Hello,
I'm so sorry, but we can't offer any additional insight or action on this matter. We are unable to provide you with legal advice. For any specific questions you have about your publishing rights, we recommend you consult an attorney or copyright law professional.
Until this dispute is resolved by all parties concerned, the titles will not be made available for sale in the Kindle Store.
Best Regards,
(Rep's name)
Amazon.com
Your feedback is helping us build Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company.
My guess is that they're going to hold her book hostage, so to speak. This s***weasel will offer to work things out with the "other" s***weasel ... for a fee. He/she/it is hoping Becca will pay up.HAGrant said:I just read your whole blog post. How awful. Why would the scammer want to do this? What do they think they're going to gain?
I second the idea to talk to legal counsel.
Great thought, SevenDays, thanks! He commented on my blog from two different IP addresses. I'll send them along to Amazon and Smashwords. Whether one of them will line up with the IP addresses from which he sent the DMCA notices ... dunno. Seems too much to hope for, but maybe!SevenDays said:I don't know if this will help, but if you keep track of your website's metrics, you should be able to correlate the time this s***weasel visited your website with the comment they initially left. That will, at least, give you an IP address (possibly not their real one, but still ... This is clearly someone not very bright; you've caught them out with one screw-up already.)
Thanks, Rick. I figure a lawyer comes next, if I can't resolve the problem with the DMCA counter-notices. I'm very fortunate in having legal insurance through my day job. I opted into it just in case of something like this.Rick Gualtieri said:Ugh, that's terrible. I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this. Another vote for talking to a lawyer.
Good luck!