# Playster-A New and Not Legitimate Subscription Service?



## Avis Black (Jun 12, 2012)

There's a new subscription service called Playster. They've just signed an agreement with HarperCollins for distribution. I was following some Facebook link that claimed to have one of my books available for download and ended up being pointed at Playster. They appear to have my titles, or are claiming to have my books to lure subscribers in, but I haven't signed up so I couldn't search their database to find out for certain.

However, I didn't distribute any of my books to Playster, having never heard of them before. Anyone have a clue what's going on? They say they have a ton of ebooks on their site.

https://www.playster.com/about-us/


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## Avis Black (Jun 12, 2012)

After checking them over, they claim to have music, movies, and games as well.  Their fancy graphics look like they have a ton of capital to play with, and I can't find a single thing about their ownership.  What the heck?


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

what i find interesting is that i can find nowhere that tells me how much they charge for "membership".
also, the site says "beta" but their TOS are from 2014.


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## Bluebonnet (Dec 15, 2013)

Playster is an app which will provide streaming media (music, games, movies, ebooks, etc.) to subscribers. Membership is $15.95 per month. It's legit, but if you look at the tiny red print by their name on the About Us page, it says "beta." Articles I found confirm that they are still in the beta stage.

http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/simon-schuster-inks-deal-with-playster-another-netflix-for-media-content/102058
AdWeek, April 15, 2015, "Simon & Schuster Inks Deal With Playster."
"Simon & Schuster has signed a content deal with a new digital media streaming app called Playster. Under the terms of the agreement, the publisher will offer unlimited access to a select backlist of eBook titles from its U.S. and international catalog through the Playster service... Similar to Oyster and Netflix, the Playster app allows readers to access content through a subscription model. The app is currently in beta, but is scheduled to launch this summer. Users will have unlimited access to movies, TV, music, video games and books through the ad-free service."

http://www.talkingnewmedia.com/2015/06/24/playster-still-in-beta-signs-up-findaway-for-streaming-media-service/
Talking New Media, June 24, 2015, "Playster, still in beta, signs up audiobook company Findaway for media subscription service"
"Another streaming service is ramping up, planning to launch sometime this summer: Playster. Right now the service is in beta, but there are supposedly iOS and Android apps coming soonish. In preparation, Playster is signing content deals&#8230; Playster, based in Montreal, though their website says NYC, plans on charging $15.95 a month for unlimited access to games, movies, music and books. What those are will be determined by the deals it can swing. Playster signed on News Corp owned HarperCollins in March, Harlequin in April (nice one, HarperCollins owns Harlequin), and Simon & Schuster that same month.... Today, Playster announced a deal with the audiobook company Findaway..."


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## Desert Rose (Jun 2, 2015)

telracs said:


> what i find interesting is that i can find nowhere that tells me how much they charge for "membership".
> also, the site says "beta" but their TOS are from 2014.


$24.95/month. Or $9.95/month. Apparently they have different levels of membership depending on what you want access to. The flash slides aren't that informative.


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## Guest (Jul 28, 2015)

One thing to keep in mind is that some ads actually use a "merge" feature to create fake search results. For example, if you search for something that you know doesn't exist (for example, kboard coupons) you will get search results from discount sites claiming to have coupons for deals on kboards. But they are fake results. The result basically just merges your search word into their form to make it look like they are a legitimate link. In the case of our "kboards coupons" search, a site called Couponstwo claims to have "25% off" discount code when you shop at kboards. But the link actually just brings you to a thread here where someone posted a thread about some Amazon deal.

These fake searches are a way to drive traffic to a site. We see if all the time with "pirate" sites that claim to have books but are really just taking you to links that install spyware on your computer. They use simple merge code and web crawlers to create these fake links to direct traffic. Google has been fighting an uphill battle with these sort of things for years. 

I suspect Playster is using a similar advertising "technique." They want to drive traffic to their site, so they need people to think that they have the books that they want. Basic bait and switch. Get enough people to sign up and some will stay regardless.


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## Bluebonnet (Dec 15, 2013)

Avis Black said:


> After checking them over, they claim to have music, movies, and games as well. Their fancy graphics look like they have a ton of capital to play with, and I can't find a single thing about their ownership. What the heck?


Ownership info:

https://trademarks.justia.com/862/97/playster-86297729.html
This is Playster's U.S. trademark application for their name.

Under "Good and Services" it says: "Providing a members only website featuring technology which provides registered end users with the ability to access entertainment products of others, namely, electronic games, electronic game programs, electronic booklets and manuals regarding video games, electronic magazines regarding games, virtual currency, virtual goods, videos, motion pictures, films, audio recordings, digital music, ringtones, audiobooks, books, comic books, texts, digital images, computer software programs, and computer freeware."

Under Trademark Owner History:

Owner is Bountyful International Ltd. Address Marine Lodge, Corner of Balmoral Gap, Hasting Main Road, Christ Church, BB

This address in is Barbados. (In the Caribbean -- a favored region for offshore headquarters because of the tax havens available). Note that the Talking New Media article I cited in the previous post says Playster HQ is in Montreal/New York. That doesn't matter; the parent company is in Barbados, or at least they have some kind of HQ there for tax purposes.

http://www.caipo.gov.bb/site/index.php?option=com_search
This is the Government of Barbados Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office website, Ministry of International Business. I did a search but could not find any record of corporate registration for Bountyful International Ltd.

Bountyful started some other companies at the end of 2014:

https://www.check-business.co.uk/business/NI625158/gamezoid-limited
Brief information on Gamezoid Limited, a company located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Bountyful owns most of the shares.

http://companycheck.co.uk/company/09084606/MUSILO-LIMITED/group-structure
Musilo Limited, located in the U.K. Bountyful owns 100% of shares.

Looks like Bountyful has started Playster Limited in Birmingham, U.K. too:
http://www.endole.co.uk/company/09065373/playster-limited
Bountyful owns 100% of shares.

That's all I could find on a quick search. Some executive names are given for the subsidiary companies, but I didn't find any names of owner/founder/officers of Bountyful. I have no idea where they are getting their funding, but it looks likes somebody or some group invested a lot. If you read the full articles I cited in my previous post, the reporters said Playster is going to have to spend a large amount of money on marketing to get enough subscribers for their new service.

Edited to add: Found something else interesting. There's a YouTube video where a man is giving a glowing review of Playster:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp5Wquasm2E
Length 1:01
But look at the comment someone made five days ago: "Playster is now $25/month. Nothing I searched for on their site was available, books or movie titles. Terrible service. And when signing up you are forced to donate a monthly fee to UNICEF before the sign-in process would continue. Then I tried to cancel my "free" first month subscription and they charge $0.99 to cancel. What a rip-off."

There are several other recent reviews of Playster if you do a Google search This is a good review by a blogger:

http://www.paranormalromancenovel.com/2015/03/playster-alternative-to-kindle-unlimited.html
Blog post title: "Playster, an alternative to Kindle Unlimited? " The blogger said "So how does this compare to Kindle Unlimited? One, you don't have to have a Kindle to use Playster. It is compatible with any smart device such as a smart phone, computer or tablet... Two, which the price of Playster is higher at $15.99 vs $9.99 I found that the books on Playster are better. I've found that Kindle Unlimited has a lot of self-published or Indy authors which is great, I like those books too, but I can buy them at $1-$2 a pop at my leisure. The bigger names that you see on Playster go more for $5-$10 a pop so you only have to read 1-3 books a month on Playster to cover what you spent for the monthly subscription..."


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## Playster (Aug 12, 2015)

Avis Black said:


> There's a new subscription service called Playster. They've just signed an agreement with HarperCollins for distribution. I was following some Facebook link that claimed to have one of my books available for download and ended up being pointed at Playster. They appear to have my titles, or are claiming to have my books to lure subscribers in, but I haven't signed up so I couldn't search their database to find out for certain.
> 
> However, I didn't distribute any of my books to Playster, having never heard of them before. Anyone have a clue what's going on? They say they have a ton of ebooks on their site.
> 
> https://www.playster.com/about-us/


Avis, if you contact us on [email protected] we'd be happy to look into this for you. The same goes for any authors with similar concerns.

We have licensing rights to all of the content that we provide to our members - but it could be that third-party sites are referring to copyrighted material in their ads for Playster. If that's the case, we'll submit a DMCA take down notice on your behalf to the site owner and follow up with them to check that they've taken those pages down.

We're a new company and we're working hard to monitor how our product is being advertised. We're hugely proud of our books collection, and grateful for the authors who make it possible. You can read more about what we're doing at http://www.playster.com/about-us - but feel free to contact us if you'd like to know more.


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## paj (Aug 13, 2015)

I was looking into Playster because they offer an illegal pdf of my 428 page manuscript which is only supposed to be available in hardcover.
It turns out their DNS name servers, when you enter the numbers into WHOIS, all lead to Amazon.
I smell a very big rat.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

paj said:


> I was looking into Playster because they offer an illegal pdf of my 428 page manuscript which is only supposed to be available in hardcover.
> It turns out their DNS name servers, when you enter the numbers into WHOIS, all lead to Amazon.
> I smell a very big rat.


AWS is Amazon's server business, which is at $6 billion a year and growing. Is WHOIS pointing to an AWS (Amazon)-based server farm? Because that might simply mean AWS servers are powering Playster, just like they're powering Adobe, Netflix, Reddit, Pinterest and many, many more companies.


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## Avis Black (Jun 12, 2012)

paj said:


> I was looking into Playster because they offer an illegal pdf of my 428 page manuscript which is only supposed to be available in hardcover.
> It turns out their DNS name servers, when you enter the numbers into WHOIS, all lead to Amazon.
> I smell a very big rat.


Infuriating authors is not the way to establish oneself as a legitimate business, even if they don't actually have the titles they claim they do. It'll also annoy readers if they can never find the titles that Playster claims to have. That's lousy marketing.

Is it possible Playster is an Amazon-owned startup?


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## StefanieMacWilliams (Aug 4, 2015)

I am really curious to see where this leads. I really really hate that spammy fake advertising and as a consumer I'm pretty good at seeing it and ignoring it. I hope readers do the same until we see what kind of company this is :/


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## Nick Marsden (Jan 28, 2015)

I love how everyone just ignored that Playster responded to the OP and no one batted an eye, just continued to throw around accusations of it being illegal and scammy. Give them a chance, people. Jeeze, why is the default human reaction so negative?


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## 4metos (Aug 24, 2015)

Pro Tip: most spam sites like this don't check credit card info rigorously.  I keep a vanilla visa around with about $0.60 on it that allows me to sign-up and pass the paywall on many sites like this.  This one, as stated in the thread, likely does not contain the book you are looking for.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The big negative for me, as a reader, is there is no way to see what books they offer before signing up. I'm just not willing to do that. I did send an email to ask why not and they responded fairly quickly. Unfortunately, the response was basically, "we just don't; we're new."

That said . . . . I didn't have the feeling they were scammers, exactly . . . . but they clearly operate differently to all the other subscription services out there, all of which have a way to let you see what's available in their catalog before you commit even to a free trial. So maybe that's at least a small red flag.


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## Playster (Aug 12, 2015)

Ann in Arlington said:


> The big negative for me, as a reader, is there is no way to see what books they offer before signing up. I'm just not willing to do that. I did send an email to ask why not and they responded fairly quickly. Unfortunately, the response was basically, "we just don't; we're new."
> 
> That said . . . . I didn't have the feeling they were scammers, exactly . . . . but they clearly operate differently to all the other subscription services out there, all of which have a way to let you see what's available in their catalog before you commit even to a free trial. So maybe that's at least a small red flag.


Hi Ann, you don't need to sign up first in order to view our books catalog - you can browse the collection on http://play.playster.com/

Playster is a great opportunity for authors and publishers to increase their exposure and revenue. We'd love to have more on board, not least because it would further strengthen our great collection! You can read more about the landscape we're working to create for authors and publishers here: https://blog.playster.com/authors-publishers-what-playster-can-do-for-you/


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Playster said:


> Hi Ann, you don't need to sign up first in order to view our books catalog -- you can browse the collection on http://read.playster.com/
> 
> We're working to improve the search functionality on there, but for now you can use the A-Z browse at the bottom of the page to look for specific titles.
> 
> Playster is a great opportunity for authors and publishers to increase their exposure and revenue. We'd love to have more on board, not least because it would further strengthen our great collection! You can read more about the landscape we're working to create for authors and publishers here: https://www.playster.com/authors-publishers-what-playster-can-do-for-you/


Well, that's a definite change. When I first checked it out there was no way to see without being a 'member' -- even with just a free trial -- and when I asked, as I mentioned earlier, I was definitely told that it was not a feature at that time.


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## Leif Sterling (Jul 19, 2014)

I emailed Playster this morning to see what kind of options they have for royalties and to find out how to publish on their platform. We'll see what happens...

Thanks!

*~Leif Sterling~*


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

"*Each contract we sign varies slightly from the next,* but each publisher has a system in place to make sure that authors are paid for their hard work.

RED ALERT RED ALERT.


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## Nick Marsden (Jan 28, 2015)

dianapersaud said:


> "*Each contract we sign varies slightly from the next,* but each publisher has a system in place to make sure that authors are paid for their hard work.
> 
> RED ALERT RED ALERT.


Why is that a RED ALERT? This is true of just about everything. You can negotiate the contract. And if you are self-publishing, then you are the publisher (so you as the writer get all the royalties paid by Playster. I just feel sorry for the trad published people who are probably going to get screwed on royalties.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

Nick Marsden said:


> Why is that a RED ALERT? This is true of just about everything. You can negotiate the contract. And if you are self-publishing, then you are the publisher (so you as the writer get all the royalties paid by Playster. I just feel sorry for the trad published people who are probably going to get screwed on royalties.


Amazon, BN, Apple and other distributors are pretty clear about the royalty rates. It's posted. Amazon doesn't post Trad Published rates, either. But they do for Indies.

That page is designed to attract Self Publishers, so why all the mystery? No thanks.


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## Hoffschlag (Sep 11, 2015)

Playster said:


> We have licensing rights to all of the content that we provide to our members -- but it could be that third-party sites are referring to copyrighted material in their ads for Playster. If that's the case, we'll submit a DMCA take down notice on your behalf to the site owner and follow up with them to check that they've taken those pages down.
> 
> We're a new company and we're working hard to monitor how our product is being advertised. We're hugely proud of our books collection, and grateful for the authors who make it possible. You can read more about what we're doing at http://www.playster.com/about-us -- but feel free to contact us if you'd like to know more.


This is quite interesting. There is no licensing right to our book. But i can find you on on the internet, claming you have it in your catalog. When i click on this 'Download icon' it brings me to your site. 
I will be straight and simple... Remove this page and don't use me for your advertise campaign. And i you have our book in your catalog, REMOVE it, Now!










_Edited to shrink image to accommodate those using mobile devices or older monitors. Thanks for understanding. --Betsy_


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## mkurowski (Sep 15, 2015)

@Hoffschlag I searched for your book and you as an author on the playster site without success. As already mentioned in this post, it's possible someone else is interceding in the searches. Where was your image from? Can you post full page? Note that I too "Googled" a book, landed on a site that was NOT Playster and was redirected to Playster to join when the book didn't exist. I assume this is for affiliate program or site traffic. I do not assume this is Playster

Search for you as an author: Note you are not here.
http://read.playster.com/search?q=bronja%20hoffschlag
http://read.playster.com/search?q=hoffschlag

Your book: Note your book is not here.
http://read.playster.com/search?q=de%20dode%20kamer
http://read.playster.com/search?q=dode%20kamer
http://read.playster.com/search?q=kamer

Here was one of my links that pulled me to playster dissected. As you can see, this seems tied to ad/referral revenues by an outside party:
?ad_domain=ads.ad-center.com
&ad_path=%2Fsmart_ad%2Fdisplay
&prod=2
&ref=5027058
&q=Pearson%20Successnet%20Algebra
&seed=3404246684
&sf=prone
&utm_source=insidelibrary.com
&utm_medium=referral
&placement=insidelibrary.com
&adserver=0.17.0-rc5
&m=books

Cheers,
Matthew


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## Dennis Bauer (Sep 22, 2015)

On 8/18 I received a Google Alert:

*"Fumes and a Prayer: How to Live at the Edge and Still Be Home for Dinner pdf download online free 
temptebook.org 
Fumes and a Prayer: How to Live at the Edge and Still Be Home for. Dinner. By. If you want to get Fumes and a Prayer: How to Live at the Edge and ..."*

Not being excited by offers of my book as free pdf downloads, I clicked the link for temptebook.org ... which redirects to Playster where the book is not to be found. And then I found this forum!

Just thought I'd add this to the discussion. Plus, this is my first kboards post, so kind of testing the water.


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## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

Welcome Dennis!


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## Lyndon Maither (Oct 30, 2015)

Has anyone contemplated a class-action suit against Playster for choosing, seemingly, only affiliates or close on-going newly-created feeder sites that take our titles from Googlebooks and feed them with links to their site giving them the appearance as if we've deposited, WHEN WE HAVEN'T, and making money from our copyright. I have had to ask them twice to correct and the first time was reasonably rapid in getting the links down, but they have just repopulated the net with different domain sources and I'm stuck with the same exact problem 1-1.5 months later. Seems they have a crooked business-model.
They're perpetrating a fraud on the public by using our titles, in the face of copyright ownership, to make their money from it.
Can a class-action in the USA be commenced by all the affected authors?


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## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

I was surprised that they are still operating. The reviews of the customer experience on Google Play's app store are pretty scathing. Sorry Playster. Maybe you should take down your app for the time being until these issues are worked out. There are many reviewers saying that a book listed as offered for sale was actually not available, as posted upthread.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playster.mmc

My suggestion for authors seeking remedy, if not available from Playster, is to contact Google directly.


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## Avis Black (Jun 12, 2012)

Ah, so it's Google's own subscription service.  That explains its wobbly start-up.


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## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

Avis Black said:


> Ah, so it's Google's own subscription service. That explains its wobbly start-up.


No, it's not. But most people will access the product via an Andriod app since there is no dedicated hardware. Apps sold in the Google Play store can have subscriptions however.


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## rowena (Apr 14, 2014)

Playster, you appear to be advertising that you have ebook versions of KNIGHT'S FORK by Rowena Cherry. If you do, you are infringing my copyright because I NEVER GAVE ANYONE AT ALL the rights to publish and distribute this work as an ebook. Either you are a liar, or you are a copyright infringer. Which is it?

Rowena Cherry



Playster said:


> Hi Ann, you don't need to sign up first in order to view our books catalog - you can browse the collection on http://read.playster.com/
> 
> We're working to improve the search functionality on there, but for now you can use the A-Z browse at the bottom of the page to look for specific titles.
> 
> Playster is a great opportunity for authors and publishers to increase their exposure and revenue. We'd love to have more on board, not least because it would further strengthen our great collection! You can read more about the landscape we're working to create for authors and publishers here: https://www.playster.com/authors-publishers-what-playster-can-do-for-you/


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## rowena (Apr 14, 2014)

You certainly do NOT have rights to KNIGHT'S FORK.



Playster said:


> Avis, if you contact us on [email protected] we'd be happy to look into this for you. The same goes for any authors with similar concerns.
> 
> We have licensing rights to all of the content that we provide to our members - but it could be that third-party sites are referring to copyrighted material in their ads for Playster. If that's the case, we'll submit a DMCA take down notice on your behalf to the site owner and follow up with them to check that they've taken those pages down.
> 
> We're a new company and we're working hard to monitor how our product is being advertised. We're hugely proud of our books collection, and grateful for the authors who make it possible. You can read more about what we're doing at http://www.playster.com/about-us - but feel free to contact us if you'd like to know more.


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## Speed (May 3, 2016)

My book, _Printers For Use With OCLC Workstations_, has been out of print for several years. It is technically out of date, and certainly not fiction. Yet a Google stored search locates it on http://ehouriu.ru/pazeridedo.pdf with a link to Playster.com to purchase.

1. The copyright has never been released.
2. No PDF exists of the book.
3. The site has almost a hundred very bogus reviews such as, "Awesome!"
4. The site has a link to Playster.com to purchase a product that doesn't exist.

This is fraud.


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## rowena (Apr 14, 2014)

Playster said:


> Hi Ann, you don't need to sign up first in order to view our books catalog - you can browse the collection on http://read.playster.com/
> 
> We're working to improve the search functionality on there, but for now you can use the A-Z browse at the bottom of the page to look for specific titles.
> 
> Playster is a great opportunity for authors and publishers to increase their exposure and revenue. We'd love to have more on board, not least because it would further strengthen our great collection! You can read more about the landscape we're working to create for authors and publishers here: https://www.playster.com/authors-publishers-what-playster-can-do-for-you/


Playster, searching that link you provided does not show that you have my book, but the affiliate who is sending people to your site based on what appears to be a false claim that they can get my book is http://vetacen.ru/vubucas.pdf I think you should stop paying affiliates who make false claims. However, I found out about you and your affiliate because of a Google Alert not for my name or my title, but for a distinctive six-word curse which is not in the title. That makes me wonder.


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## mach 5 (Dec 5, 2015)

Russia is one of the worst locations for fraud and they use ebooks as a lure. Their government doesn't cooperate. I don't think it's appropriate to try to hold Playster accountable -- even in the court of public opinion -- for what Russian scammers are doing.

ETA - I strongly suggest no one click on .ru links in association with ebooks. If you do, make sure you have fantastic anti-virus software running.


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## Lyndawrites (Aug 7, 2011)

I'm resurrecting this thread because I've just discovered one of my books apparently on Playster. I say apparently because a Google Alert led me to this Google doc : https://www.google.com/fusiontables/data?docid=1uxVeBSH1I8cf1i2eRTCxIYma4sQDoavmgTLW-beo#rows:id=1

Next to the cover of my 5th Verity Long book (which is currently only available on Amazon, though it's not in Select) is this link: http://emylibrary.com/pdf1/free.php?asin=B0115CC2IY. 
It's this link that appears to take you to Playster.

Searching for emylibrary, it says it "create(s) lightweight mobile web applications". Duh?

I'm not tech savvy enough to know what all this means - except that I've been pirated  - nor do I know anything about DMCAs, nor how to contact Google about the original doc. Can anyone advise, please?


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## AMSMITH41 (Jun 30, 2014)

Google Alerts also sent me a link to one of our copyright-protected, self-published books. This is extremely disturbing, but it is directly linked to Playster. I found this board. Has anyone here had luck in getting them to pull pirated copies?

Makes me sick! 

Google Alerts sent this link: http://ebookbo.com/french/free.php?asin=B00URTZLZI


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## Guest (Jun 10, 2016)

Let's make it simple.

Say "bye bye to Playster" on every forum and Facebook group you visit.

I don't have any patience with a site that lists books it doesn't have and hasn't obtained a license to list them.


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## jewishwriter (May 13, 2011)

Received a google alert yesterday that my memoir "Kvetch" is being distributed, for free, in France as a PDF. Could not believe the comments from customers patting themselves for getting e-books downloaded so easily, for nothing. Then was directed to Playster.  I know I've come into the discussion quite late..They do post repeatedly, in French,  that the book is available at amazon or goodreads. Is there anything an author can do to stop this freeloading?


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## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

You are all finding links from scam/pirate sites that redirect to Playster, but Playster doesn't have your book. It's scam sites that have an affiliates link to Playster. See below (and the comments)

http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/08/13/psa-playster-isnt-illegally-hosting-your-pdfs/

I thought Playster was out of business, actually. If not, they should be.


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## Ngm.mommy (Aug 9, 2016)

I'm not an author, but I am an avid reader. Including Ebooks. My question is why have them remove your book? From a readers point of view of I'm able to read your book and fall in love with, I'm more likely to buy it in physical or electronic form so I can always possess it. All it would be is good marketing. I hate buying a book and it being a disappointment. Because that's money I could have spent on a book I love. A good book will always make money because readers like me make a point to have them in our possession for frequent re-reads. Just a thought.


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## M T McGuire (Dec 6, 2010)

Ngm.mommy said:


> I'm not an author, but I am an avid reader. Including Ebooks. My question is why have them remove your book? From a readers point of view of I'm able to read your book and fall in love with, I'm more likely to buy it in physical or electronic form so I can always possess it. All it would be is good marketing. I hate buying a book and it being a disappointment. Because that's money I could have spent on a book I love. A good book will always make money because readers like me make a point to have them in our possession for frequent re-reads. Just a thought.


I am happy for people to read my books and fall in love with them but I don't see why someone else should make money from my copyrighted work without giving me a share.

That said most of the alerts I've found seem to be Google search results so I can browse some of the book and then it stops and I have the option to buy from google play if I want any more. I've left my free book on there.


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## wearywanderer64 (Jan 27, 2013)

Just discovered Playstar are selling my ebooks without my permission. Some people even thank them for being able to buy my ebook. according to the site (or maybe I've misread it) I've got loads of reviews and sales, but none feature on Amazon. How do we take this site down?


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## C. Rysalis (Feb 26, 2015)

I'm so confused. Do they actually have / sell the ebooks they claim to have, or are they only listing them?


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

wearywanderer64 said:


> Just discovered Playstar are selling my ebooks without my permission. Some people even thank them for being able to buy my ebook. according to the site (or maybe I've misread it) I've got loads of reviews and sales, but none feature on Amazon. How do we take this site down?


I posted this on the other thread- chances are they don't have your book. Have you actually found it on their website? IF so, do a DMCA notice.

There should be a link on their website.

If not, do it via Google.


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## Heather Bell (Jan 8, 2016)

The issue of these fake websites seems to be ongiong.  It's obvious that Playster is not at fault and I thank them for their helpful response earlier in this thread.  

Today I just discovered that some of the reviews I'd written on Goodreads have been copied, without my permission of course, and posted to two sites.  Both sites have also copied author and book information and one site has copied Goodreads profile pictures too.  Both of them contain links to Playster, although none of the books involved are actually listed on the Playster website.

The sites are toplibraryreach.96.lt and one designed by EBooks Team Inc.  This second one seems to be produced and hosted by a number of individuals on their blog pages and seems to be called Unlimited Books.

Authors and readers you may wish to check out these sites.


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## locker17 (Apr 20, 2012)

I just had a mcafee warning on this thread. So I'm probably not going to investigate this playster thing more.


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## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

Heather Bell said:


> The issue of these fake websites seems to be ongiong. It's obvious that Playster is not at fault and I thank them for their helpful response earlier in this thread.
> 
> Today I just discovered that some of the reviews I'd written on Goodreads have been copied, without my permission of course, and posted to two sites. Both sites have also copied author and book information and one site has copied Goodreads profile pictures too. Both of them contain links to Playster, although none of the books involved are actually listed on the Playster website.
> 
> ...


Please check the terms of use on Goodreads. I'm pretty sure Goodreads lets other sites copy GR reviews. Authors can do that on their own website by using the GR reviews widget. This is documented in the goodreads api

https://www.goodreads.com/api

In the terms on user accounts, you have given GR a transferable right to your user generated content (reviews) which is what they use when other sites echo your reviews using the API.


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## TromboneAl (Mar 20, 2015)

I just sent them a DMCA Takedown notice for _Yesterday's Thief_ for this:

http://goodreadslist.com.playsterbooks.com/?book=1530091861 which leads to:










I found that after only a minute of Googling based on the advice from _The Naked Truth about Self-Publishing_. Does that mean I'm going to have make this kind of search a regular part of my routine?


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## M T McGuire (Dec 6, 2010)

This is quite good - they find the links at least and lets you remove them from google. https://www.blasty.co/invitation/uC9UmGys


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## Authorsagainstpiracy (Nov 28, 2016)

I have had much experience with these kinds of PDF advertising scams.

It is clearly bait and switch. Playster will tell you that third party sites are responsible for the abuses and not them. Nevertheless, every infringing link to an authors book WILL have a UNIQUE affiliate tracking ID. What this tells us, is that Playster know exactly who the affiliates are and can disable the access with a few clicks. But they dont.

So whether they have the content or not, they promote fraud. Either they have the book (without permission) or do not (but use banners that claim to) to get sign ups for Playster. Either way, it is not above board.

How to deal with it. DMCA take down requests with Google, but like someone said, these Russian sites comes back like mushrooms after a summer rain and you can never clear Google for more than a day or so. Anyone going into this matter will find that almost all abuse comes from ONE or maybe two affiliates, who work for Usenet.Nl and other questionable sites simultaneously.

And

Find a site called Rip Off Report. Write accounts there about your issues. Playster will soon take you seriously. I had another similar company pull the plug on an affiliate spamming the crap out of my books, after they had so many reports it was not profitable to retain them.

Playster may not be distributing PDFs, but they certainly are involved in the scam. They can pull the plug on the dishonest and fraudulent affiliates, but do not. They might claim 3rd parties make the banners, but the banners have specific banner graphics across the board, and can only come directly from an affiliates back end access to their Playster affiliate account.

Once you get close to the truth, Playster will ignore you.


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## H.D.Knightley (Jul 27, 2014)

Playster said:


> Avis, if you contact us on [email protected] we'd be happy to look into this for you. The same goes for any authors with similar concerns.
> 
> We have licensing rights to all of the content that we provide to our members - but it could be that third-party sites are referring to copyrighted material in their ads for Playster. If that's the case, we'll submit a DMCA take down notice on your behalf to the site owner and follow up with them to check that they've taken those pages down.
> 
> We're a new company and we're working hard to monitor how our product is being advertised. We're hugely proud of our books collection, and grateful for the authors who make it possible. You can read more about what we're doing at http://www.playster.com/about-us - but feel free to contact us if you'd like to know more.


I came to this thread because the exact same thing, my book is listed as a playster book. I'm contacting customer support.
H.D. Knightley


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## PaulMissick (Dec 13, 2016)

I am an Author and I found one of my titles available on PLAYSTER without my permission and I get no royalties from this AT ALL. I spent  A LOT of time and money making my book and advertising it and publishing, I am sure I am not the only one this has happened to, selling copyrighted material without permission is ILLEGAL and I feel like they are STEALING from me.


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## MAllanScott (Sep 10, 2014)

Beware of Playster.com - They want you to subscribe for $14.95 per month, offering MY books (and no doubt, other indie authors) without paying me or asking my permission, or without telling me at all. Without a Google search, I would've never found out. 😡


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## Saboth (May 6, 2017)

I'm kind of curious about this service now. I just signed up with Draft2Digital, and Playster is one of the offered sites you can distribute to. I figured, "Sure, why not? more visibility, and Draft2Digital has a really good reputation, so I'm sure Playster is legit."

Most of the bad reviews seem to be about the service not functioning properly or baiting and switching products or raising prices, but a few are from authors stating they never authorized their books. So was allowing D2D to distribute to Playster a bad move?


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