who is liable if an online publisher unwittingly publishes a plagiarized work of...

  • Thread starter Thread starter bicballpoint
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bicballpoint

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...fiction? A friend of mine has started a small Ebook publishing company specialising in fiction.

His worry is that although all authors submitting work will sign a disclaimer stating that the work is their own, and he plans to research book titles, there is little more he can do to protect himself from plagiarists.

He is pensioner planning a small one man IT business and hasn't the financial means to employ lawyers etc.

If he is duped by a criminal is he liable?
 
I think this is an interesting ethical question. Your friend is protected by the wording of the disclaimer which the other person chooses to sign.

Your friend is limited in their resources and has made every reasonable attempt to determine if a work is legitimate or not. Of course, should a dispute arise, the story can be pulled until the matter is proven one way or the other.

Your friend puts up work on good faith - believe in it.
 
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