Counterfeiting and Piracy

Publishers have seen instances of both piracy and counterfeiting rise over the past several years. Finding pirated content has evolved to a full-time pursuit at some publishers, particularly those selling books at higher price points.

The advent of AI may be fueling an explosion of counterfeit products, characterized by similar titles, author names, and even product identifiers. The growth of piracy and counterfeiting threatens the viability of both publishers and the retail platforms that feature counterfeit works.

What can a legitimate publisher do to find and fight against pirated and counterfeit works? How can publishers work with their retail partners to limit the impact of illegitimate sales? As it becomes easier to flood the marketplace with counterfeit works, will we need a different approach that keeps these works off retail platforms? And, do we need to be looking beyond the U.S. market?

This Lunch & Learn is presented by Roger Naggar, Senior Director of Publishing Operations at Macmillan:

As a former team member of a group who has consistently been able to take on some of the largest infringers or enablers, and win, I'm looking forward to a lively discussion regarding counterfeiting and piracy in the publishing industry.

His remarks will be followed by a conversation that includes questions, comments, and ideas from lunch-and-learn participants.

Roger Naggar is a publishing industry veteran with twenty plus years of experience in supply chain management. With a demonstrated history of working in the Trade and Higher Education publishing sectors, he's skilled in finding synergies between vendor negotiations/selection, intellectual property protection, and sustainable sourcing strategies.