WARNING: Sharing Andre de Ruyter's book could result in legal action
De Ruyter's long-awaited memoir has been leaked and illegal distributors have been warned.
Just days after its release, Andre de Ruyter's tell-all book about his time as Eskom CEO, 'Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom', was leaked as a PDF online.
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This version of the book, which was two years in the making, has been shared on WhatsApp groups and amongst family and friends online.
While this might be sad news for publishers, Penguin Random House SA (PRHSA), and de Ruyter, there are some very serious consequences awaiting those participating in the sharing of this ebook.
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PRHSA has officially released a statement:
Penguin Random House is appalled by the illegal distribution of a pirated PDF of Truth to Power by André de Ruyter, which is being disseminated on WhatsApp Messenger. The distribution of pirated copies infringes our copyright as well as that of the author, and it is unlawful in terms of the Copyright Act of 1976. We wish to make clear to the public that the only way to obtain an ebook legally is to buy it from an ebook retailer or to borrow it from an authorised ebook library. Any copying or distribution of a pirated ebook, or any forwarding of a link to the pirated ebook, is unlawful. We will take legal action against individuals who are circulating pirated copies, which may include criminal complaints once we have collected all the necessary information.
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The CEO of Penguin Random House SA, Steve Connolly, spoke to News24 about the incident:
Sharing pirated books hurts everyone who works in the bookselling and publishing industries. Buying a book won’t hurt you, but supporting pirated copies will hurt authors.
Other South African writers and authors have taken to social media to share their feelings about the distribution of illegal copies of books and PDFs, including an email address where people can share information about the people who are partaking in this "trade":
Hopefully, this will scare off current pirates and future pirates.
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Main image courtesy of @CasCode2012/Twitter