Judge issues preliminary injunction for Amazon and top authors in lawsuit against ‘pirate’ book site

A judge ordered an e-book publishing site to halt its alleged counterfeit scheme as part of a court case involving a group of best-selling authors who are teaming up with Amazon.

U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman on Thursday issued a preliminary injunction against the operators of Kiss Library and affiliated websites.

Amazon Publishing, Penguin Random House, and several well-known authors filed their original complaint last month, alleging that Kiss Library and related mirror websites sold unauthorized ebooks at discounted prices as they displayed, reproduced, sold, and distributed copyrighted works without permission.

John Grisham, Scott Turow, R.L. Stine, Sylvia Day, and other top American authors are named as plaintiffs in the suit. They request that the defendants return all profits made off the alleged illegal sales.

The preliminary injunction orders the defendants to stop selling the alleged counterfeit books. They are also restrained from disposing of any files and records related to the reproduction and distribution of the books. Any banks, payment processors, and other services associated with Kiss Library are ordered to stop conducting business with the sites; domain name registries also must deactivate the sites.

The defendants did not show up to a court hearing on Tuesday to discuss the preliminary injunction.

The judge said the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their copyright claims and are suffering “irreparable injury in the absence of an injunction.”

Some of the same authors partnering with Amazon Publishing in the lawsuit were part of a group of more than 900 writers who publicly lambasted Amazon’s negotiating tactics during a ebook pricing and profit margin dispute with Hachette back in 2014. Amazon eventually reached an agreement with Hachette later that year.

Other authors listed on the lawsuit against Kiss Library include Lee Child, Sylvia Day, C.J. Lyons, Doug Preston, Jim Rasenberger, T.J. Stiles, Monique Truong, Nicholas Weinstock, and Stuart Woods.

See the full court order below.

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Trump issues executive order banning transactions with TikTok parent ByteDance in 45 days

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at Kennedy Space Center after the launch of SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday blocking all transactions with ByteDance, the China-based company that owns TikTok, in 45 days.

Trump cited a “national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain” as the reason for the moratorium, escalating a dispute with TikTok that could force an acquisition of some or all of the social app by Microsoft or another company.

BREAKING: President Trump just issued an executive order “on Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok.” It takes effect in 45 days, prohibits “any transaction” with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, and will almost certainly face legal challenges. pic.twitter.com/Ma9XOfYgOB

— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) August 7, 2020

Trump initially announced his intention to ban TikTok last week but backed off of the plan after speaking with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella about the American software giant’s plan to acquire TikTok’s business in the U.S. and a handful of other countries. Nadella and Trump agreed that acquisition talks would conclude by Sept. 15.

The new executive order, set to take place five days after that deadline, adds pressure to the negotiation talks. It also indicates that the president, who does not always follow through on bold propositions, means business.

The unusual executive order will almost certainly face legal challenges, however.

Trump also signed an executive order related to WeChat, owned by China-based tech giant Tencent.

Trump also signed an EO related to WeChat, saying: “WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users —threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information.“

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 7, 2020

Incredible to see this unfolding. To me WeChat is a much bigger deal. TikTok was made because the Great Firewall cut China off, but WeChat is one of the few apps that actually spans the filters and links communities within and outside China. Of course there will be workarounds… https://t.co/kDgPjAy9hS

— Paul Mozur ??? (@paulmozur) August 7, 2020

Trump’s WeChat ban prohibits transactions with owner Tencent Holdings and its subsidiaries. Tencent owns @riotgames (@LeagueOfLegends) and 40% of @EpicGames (@FortniteGame). And lot of other very popular game makers. This ban just became a LOT larger (if actually implemented). https://t.co/xXq1cbwth2

— Kurt Opsahl (@kurtopsahl) August 7, 2020

Initially, Microsoft expressed an interest in taking over the app in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia but The Financial Times reported Thursday that the company has discussed the possibility of buying TikTok’s business in Europe and India as well.

Microsoft has acknowledged Trump’s concerns that ByteDance could be sharing information about users with the Chinese government, and said it would address the issue as part of the process. ByteDance and TikTok have denied the allegations.

Mergers and acquisition experts are debating TikTok’s price tag, estimating it could sell for anywhere from $10 billion to $50 billion.

Microsoft is well-positioned to pay top dollar for the coveted app. Its market value is at $1.6 trillion, and its cash, short-term investments stood at $136 billion as of June 30. The company’s largest acquisition to date was the $26.2 billion purchase of professional social media network LinkedIn in 2016.

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Inspired by son’s health issues, Seattle entrepreneur launches at-home ear-nose-throat monitor

Jane Zhang. (Remmie Health Photos)

Jane Zhang knew there had to be a better way.

Despite extra attention on hygiene and eating healthy, Zhang’s 2-year-old son was constantly getting ear infections and catching the common cold after starting childcare. He was forced to go through multiple rounds of antibiotics, several misdiagnoses, and many hours inside various doctor’s offices.

With a background in biomedical engineering and healthcare product R&D, Zhang began tinkering away in her garage. She wanted access to an ear-nose-throat (ENT) tool, similar to a otoscope used in doctor’s offices for decades, but one that could be used by parents inside their own home.

Fast forward to today and Zhang is now heading up a new Seattle startup called Remmie Health. The company is gearing up to launch its ENT monitor for families to assess symptoms such as an earache and communicate with health professionals via telemedicine.

The device can take images and videos of ENT-related issues, with that info sent to Remmie’s digital platform that can be accessed by doctors and nurses during a virtual visit. The idea is to get professional advice without needing to leave the home.

“We intend to become the go-to household brand for ENT ailment self-care,” Zhang said.

Zhang said ear infections are the most common reason for sick child visits, and said 30% of children between ages 0-6 have at least three or more infections per year, according to the National Institute of Health.

Remmie plans to make money by selling the device and sharing profit with telemedicine partners for recurring revenue.

The Seattle startup has landed more than $100,000 in initial funding, including capital from Silicon Valley firm Plug and Play Ventures.

Remmie is one of many telemedicine startups aiming to ride the trend of virtual healthcare that has accelerated amid the pandemic, as it enables treatment without forcing patients to come inside a physical office and risk exposure to COVID-19.

Zhang was previously a senior manager at Amgen and a healthcare consultant at ZS. She earned an MBA from UCLA and a PhD in biomedical engineering from Boston University. Zhang is currently an affiliate assistant professor at the University of Washington.

Other employees at Remmie Health include Zhan Wang, a Groupon and Concur veteran, and Zaris Shen, a former designer with Seattle startup AdaptiLab.

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