End of an Era; With Good Reason

A few months ago, I talked about the copyright infringement issues being faced by some popular photographers. Specifically, there were authors who were using unlicensed pictures for their book covers. When the photographers reached out to the authors to inform them of the issue, the authors were combative. One even took the stance that she’d done nothing wrong because she found the picture on the internet.

Naturally, fans of these photographers, many of whom are also readers, came out of the woodwork in support of the photographers, as they should have. The result was that these authors likely lost a lot of future fans. They’re just lucky the photographers were kind enough to give them the benefit of the doubt instead of seeking legal action first.

I’m sorry to say it’s happening again. Photographer Michael Stokes is once again the victim of piracy. This time, authors on Wattpad are using his pictures as covers for their books.

For those you not familiar with it, Wattpad is an online writing community where you can publish your stories with no publishing contract and retain the rights. The idea is that you are able to grow readership. When I participated several years ago, authors published stories one chapter at a time and fans could read and vote on their stories. It’s since changed and I believe some authors can now be paid through the site.

Though I no longer publish on Wattpad, and haven’t for years, I left my stories there for readers to enjoy. For years, I contemplated closing the account but always went back to not wanting to disappoint readers. Unfortunately, Wattpad has left me no choice. 

After discovering he’d been a victim of copyright infringement once again, Stokes reached out to the Wattpad authors who felt they hadn’t done anything wrong. If it’s on the internet, it’s free right. With no luck there, it’s my understanding he asked the Wattpad administrators to intervene and his pleas were ignored. It was thanks to public backlash that one author caved and changed her cover.

Stokes should not have had to go to this extent to be heard. He had substantial proof of the violation, but no one at Wattpad seemed to care. What’s more, it’s not the first time they’ve turned an apathetic ear to these issues. According to some readers, plagiarism runs rampant on the site with no regulation, and I can tell you for a fact one of my stories published there was plagiarized on another site.

In light of this, I've closed my account. To those of you who are strictly Wattpad readers, I am sorry I’ve had to take this step, but I have to do what I feel is right. I can no longer support a company that has demonstrated it doesn’t value the work of all artists. I hope you understand, and I thank you for your years of loyal support. You helped launch my mainstream career, and I will never forget that.