Amidst all the concerns that the U.S. has regarding China and Russia, here is one sometimes doesn’t get much attention: Publishers in China and Russia, along with India and Indonesia, are the most likely to publish books to which they have no contractual rights. They print unauthorized translations of books by American authors, never inform such authors, and keep all of the profits.
Pirates at Work
American authors, me included, are robbed when pirated versions of their books are published around the world. I am the author of 68 books. My topics include career advancement, time management, and self-help. I’ve had 151 foreign translations in a total of 19 languages, including Chinese, Russian, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Dutch among others. Some of my books have given way to pirated versions.
Friends traveling abroad have emailed me saying that they’ve encountered a published version of one of my books. I ask them to send a photo of the cover and information about the publisher. Often, I am stunned to learn that no publishing agreement with me or my American publishers was ever made. Quite simply, publishers within China, Russia, India, and Indonesia createpirated versions of my books, so I receive no advance and no royalties.
When I learn of these transgressions, sometimes I'm able to stop such publishers. How? Legitimate publishingassociations within those respective countries will clamp down on rogue publishers. In rare cases, I'm able to retroactively receive payment for my books that were pirated.
A Drop in the Bucket
My experience with information and intellectual thievery, however, pales by comparison to the experience of others.
Richard Levine, author of Pillars for Freedom, explains that intellectual theft “is particularly harmful to our society in terms of economic output.” Trillions of dollars have been ripped from our economy as a result of data exfiltration and cyber-espionage.
The Chinese routinely steal computer codes, which enable their manufacturers to have an incredible advantage over American manufacturers. Chinese manufacturers pay only a small fraction of what a U.S. company pays to otherwise legitimately purchase software. As such, U.S. competitiveness is diminished, hampering our nation's innovators and potentially diminishing our national security.
Of late, China has passed a law which, incredibly, allows CCP authorities to freeze or seize patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights held in China – a stunning and brazen justification for IP theft.
Attacks in Many Forms
China, Russia, and Iran, among others, continually mount cyber attacks against our government, major corporations, and high-tech firms. These rogue nations also engage in reverse engineering. They acquire American technology, break it down, figure out how it was created, and then concoct their own version.
Adding insult to injury, some practice patent-stuffing. They file an endless number of U.S. patents to stifle American manufacturers. If, say, a Chinese manufacturer files a series of small patents, they can hinder an American manufacturer from operating effectively. Each of these patents represents a unique roadblock.
Why are China, Russia, and others heavily invested in intellectual theft? America remains the hot bed of innovation. For all the propaganda that China and Russia spew about their greatness, they cannot hold a candle to the innovation and entrepreneurial engine that America represents. We perfected the light bulb, telephone, car, and airplane, then the iPhone, internet, cell phone, and so much more.
A World of Benefits
The entire world benefits from our creative capabilities. The repressive regimes of China, Russia, certainly Iran, and even some European nations, cannot compete with our level of innovation. So, unscrupulous entities within continually seek to steal from us. Sadly, their attempts are accelerating.
In a recent year, hundreds of cyber attacks, mainly focused on U.S. firms, plagued the entire global finance industry sector. Likewise, in the professional ranks, education, public administration, manufacturing, health care, and transportation, cyber attacks are unceasing.
The cyber crime cost to the America rises markedly every year. In 2017 it was $19 billion, growing to $153 billion by 2021, and $639 billion today. By 2029, according to Statista, a U.S.-based firm, the cost of cyber crime in the U.S. will top two trillion dollars.
Trump, the Protector
Fortunately, the Trump Administration is well aware of such theft and malfeasance, especially among the Chinese. In less than 34 weeks the Administration has already made vast strides in curtailing pirating activity.
From the U.S. Department of Commerce, to the Small Business Administration, to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and many other agencies, directors and their top officers are focused on the unrelenting information and intellectual theft attempts. Unlike previous administrations, the Trump Administration is constantly exposing and shutting down such overseas operations, when possible, or at least minimizing the damage.
This is just another benefit of having Donald Trump in office.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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