On Tuesday, the Seattle, Wash. federal court overseeing the copyright dispute between Amazon, numerous famous authors, and an alleged Ukrainian piracy ring, entered judgment in the plaintiffs’ favor. The defendants, two individuals and their company, “Kiss Library,” now face the damages award plus a permanent injunction barring future infringement.
The case originated in July 2020 and asserted that the defendants sold at least 52 copyrighted books on pirated websites, reaping ill-gotten proceeds and causing the plaintiffs to lose royalties.
This week’s order comes after the plaintiffs, including authors John Grisham, C.J. Lyons, and Doug Preston, moved for the entry of default judgment in November. By then, the defendants had both failed to answer the complaint and appear before the court.
“Defendants have not participated in this lawsuit and have taken efforts to avoid accountability,” Judge Marsha J. Pechman wrote in her December order granting the plaintiffs’ motion. In support of its decision, the court pointed to evidence that the defendants also undertook efforts to hide their identities and destroy evidence.
In addition, the court considered and approved the plaintiffs’ request for $7.8 million in statutory damages, acknowledging that it was a “substantial award.” Judge Pechman opined that “given the extent of the piracy scheme, Defendants’ efforts to fight or participate in this lawsuit, and the seriousness of the misconduct, the Court finds that the requested damages are reasonable.”
With this week’s entry of judgment, the plaintiffs have also solidified their permanent injunction against the defendants. In part, it prohibits them from reproducing, distributing, or selling the plaintiffs’ works and inducing, causing, or materially contributing to the infringement thereof.
The plaintiffs are represented by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.
