It is a crazy situation. Can you imagine if common words were off the table for book titles? I’m not sure “Cocky” is a word I would ever use in a title, but where would it end if she is able to keep her trademark on that word?
The word is dumb and more like an adult film star pseudonym. It seems a silly hill to fight for but I guess she has her reasons. Interesting to see how far this goes.
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I read some of the titles of the effected authors and realized I was not their target audience. The fundraiser book with the chicken struck me as funny. So I bought it. Maybe I will get lucky and find another author I enjoy.
An article from The Verge about this topic and how much of it is gaming Amazon’s publishing incentives.
As always, art can be a fun little party until commerce crashes it and ruins everything.
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The fight over #Cockygate, as it was branded online, emerged from the strange universe of Amazon Kindle Unlimited, where authors collaborate and compete to game Amazon’s algorithm. Trademark trolling is just the beginning: There are private chat groups, ebook exploits, conspiracies to seed hyperspecific trends like “Navy SEALs” and “mountain men,” and even a controversial sweepstakes in which a popular self-published author offered his readers a chance to win diamonds from Tiffany’s if they reviewed his new book.
Much of what’s alleged is perfectly legal, and even technically within Amazon’s terms of service. But for authors and fans, the genre is also a community, and the idea that unethical marketing and algorithmic tricks are running rampant has embroiled their world in controversy. Some authors even believe that the financial incentives set up by Kindle Unlimited are reshaping the romance genre — possibly even making it more misogynistic.
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Thank you for reblogging!
Thank you for all of the fabulous info! 🙂
Wow, I am surprised to hear that USPTO claim even went through – words out of context are copyrightable? Where does that end?
Otherwise it sounds like typical patent-troll intellectual property cockroach behavior. Hope she loses completely.
It is a crazy situation. Can you imagine if common words were off the table for book titles? I’m not sure “Cocky” is a word I would ever use in a title, but where would it end if she is able to keep her trademark on that word?
(I changed my WP username if this looks weird).
The word is dumb and more like an adult film star pseudonym. It seems a silly hill to fight for but I guess she has her reasons. Interesting to see how far this goes.
I read some of the titles of the effected authors and realized I was not their target audience. The fundraiser book with the chicken struck me as funny. So I bought it. Maybe I will get lucky and find another author I enjoy.
An article from The Verge about this topic and how much of it is gaming Amazon’s publishing incentives.
As always, art can be a fun little party until commerce crashes it and ruins everything.
—
The fight over #Cockygate, as it was branded online, emerged from the strange universe of Amazon Kindle Unlimited, where authors collaborate and compete to game Amazon’s algorithm. Trademark trolling is just the beginning: There are private chat groups, ebook exploits, conspiracies to seed hyperspecific trends like “Navy SEALs” and “mountain men,” and even a controversial sweepstakes in which a popular self-published author offered his readers a chance to win diamonds from Tiffany’s if they reviewed his new book.
Much of what’s alleged is perfectly legal, and even technically within Amazon’s terms of service. But for authors and fans, the genre is also a community, and the idea that unethical marketing and algorithmic tricks are running rampant has embroiled their world in controversy. Some authors even believe that the financial incentives set up by Kindle Unlimited are reshaping the romance genre — possibly even making it more misogynistic.
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https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/16/17566276/cockygate-amazon-kindle-unlimited-algorithm-self-published-romance-novel-cabal
Thanks for the article. An interesting read.