KISS Library

History

2022: US court fined KISS Library $7.8 million for piracy

On December 29, 2021, a US court ruled to close the Ukrainian online bookstore KISS Library, and also awarded a fine of $7.8 million for copyright infringement.

A federal judge in Washington ruled in absentia against the Ukrainian online bookstore KISS Library, after the site's operators did not respond to a lawsuit filed in July 2020 by Amazon Publishing, Penguin Random and a number of individuals from the Authors Guild. In addition to the permanent ban on the store, the court also awarded the plaintiffs a maximum amount of damages under the law of $7.8 million.

US court fined KISS Library $7.8 million for piracy

According to court documents, two citizens of Ukraine, Rodion Vinnichenko and Artem Beschapochny, created and managed KISS Library through various websites and domains to offer pirated copies of literary works. And although the court found that the defendants were eventually served, they did not participate in the trial and "used a number of tricks to hide their identity and avoid detection and responsibility" for their actions.

Plaintiffs have the right to make an absentee decision, "concluded Judge Marsha Pechman," and a permanent injunction in their favor. - However, it is unclear whether the plaintiffs will find a way to recover the damages awarded or ensure that the defendants do not resume their illegal activities using other identity cards.

The absentee decision was made after Pechman made a large-scale preliminary decision in September 2020. The lawsuit was first filed on July 8, 2020 after the plaintiffs called the activities of KISS Library a "particularly egregious" pirate enterprise.

Authors rarely have the necessary resources to fight commercial piracy and lengthy litigation, so we are extremely grateful to Amazon Publishing and Penguin Random House for their cooperation in this action, "said Mary Razenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, in a statement of absentee judgment. - We are very pleased that the Court quickly assessed the facts and satisfied each of our requests - imposed a maximum financial penalty, closed all domains associated with Kiss, and sent a message to sites with pirated content.[1]

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