A bill failed in the Virginia state senate yesterday that would have prevented publishers from imposing limits on lending electronic material. The Committee on General Laws and Technology voted 15-0 to block the bill. The bill stipulated that a publisher’s contract with a library could not “Preclude…the Library from licensing any electronic literary material;” “Restrict the number of licenses for any electronic literary material that a library may acquire after the same item is made available to the public;” “Require a library to pay a cost-per-circulation fee to loan any electronic literary material, unless substantially lower in aggregate than the […]
Legal
Trump Sues Woodward and S&S For Publishing Audiobook without A License
In a typically hyperbolic filing, Donald Trump sued author Bob Woodward and publisher Simon & Schuster in a Pensacola, FL Federal Court on Monday, alleging that audiobook THE TRUMP TAPES: Bob Woodward’s Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump was published without Trump’s permission and infringes his rights. The suit argues that when Trump agreed to speak with Woodward on multiple occasions and consented to being recorded, it was clear that the purpose and use was limited to Woodward’s planned book RAGE. The filing does not attach or cite a contract or release of any kind, suggesting that any agreement or […]
Trump Lawyer Threatens To Pursue “All Legal Remedies” Against Pomerantz Book
Donald Trump’s lawyer Joseph Tacopina sent a letter to Mark Pomerantz, author of forthcoming PEOPLE VS. DONALD TRUMP, threatening to “aggressively pursue all legal remedies” against the author and publisher Simon & Schuster if the book is published. The book is due out on February 7. Tacopina’s letter claims Pomerantz has made defamatory statements about Trump, specifically referencing Pomerantz’s resignation letter submitted to the New York County District Attorney’s Office, which is reportedly reproduced in the book. Pomerantz, who was a prosecutor in the criminal investigation of Trump brought by former DA Cy Vance in 2021, wrote that Trump is […]
Manhattan DA Warns S&S About Book From Trump Prosecutor
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg issued a letter on Wednesday to Simon & Schuster warning the publisher that the forthcoming book PEOPLE VS. DONALD TRUMP: AN INSIDE ACCOUNT by Mark Pomerantz, slated for publication on Feb. 7, could violate confidentiality rules and jeopardize continuing investigations of Trump. Pomerantz was a prosecutor in the criminal investigation of Trump brought by former DA Cy Vance in 2021. When Bragg eventually decided not to pursue an indictment in 2022, Pomerantz resigned in protest. The letter from the DA office’s general counsel Leslie Dubeck, which does not seek to block publication, asserts, “Mr. Pomerantz […]
Authors Guild Sues Small Press Over Royalties
The Authors Guild has filed suit on behalf of a group of authors against Authors Place Press and its owner, Tony Ferraro, for nonpayment. The complaint, filed in US District Court in Florida, alleges that Authors Place Press and its subsidiary Motivational Press failed to pay royalties and provide royalty statements to authors. The 11 plaintiffs also allege that, after they demanded and were denied payment, the company refused to revert the rights to their books to them. “Sometimes they simply ignored the authors’ requests. Other times, they refused the requests. Still other times, they threatened authors with the destruction of […]
Manuscript Thief Bernardini Pleads Guilty to One Count of Wire Fraud
A year after he was arrested and charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to a years-long manuscript phishing scam, Filippo Bernardini pleaded guilty in Federal Court to one count of wire fraud. As part of his plea, he agreed to pay restitution of $88,000. Bernardini will be sentenced by District Judge Colleen McMahon on April 5. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. But his lawyer, public defender Hannah McCrea, said he will likely face a sentence of 15 to 21 months imprisonment under recommended sentencing guidelines and in an agreement with the […]