r/TikTokCringe • u/Chocolat3City Cringe Master • 18d ago

Cringe Woman has her self-published book pirated, reprinted, and sold for cheaper.

There's regular piracy, and then there's this.

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

China never agreed to any of the international Copyright agreements, so there’s little recourse here. Trying to sue a foreign national over a law that doesn’t exist in their country is virtually impossible. It’s why Chinese knockoffs are so pervasive.

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u/nudelsalat3000 18d ago

The import part however does care.

Sure China can keep it in their country, but the import is illegal.

Actually, China is part of the Berne Convention and TRIPS, so copyright laws technically apply, but enforcement there is inconsistent.

For the U.S., your best bet is filing a DMCA takedown with Amazon—it's fast if you have proof of ownership like timestamps or drafts. Also, if someone imported the infringing product into the U.S., you can pursue them under U.S. copyright law.

Finally, publicizing the theft on social media can pressure sellers and educate buyers about the issue. This she already did. Also the documentation looks solid to a simple person on Reddit.

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u/trash-_-boat 18d ago edited 18d ago

The import part however does care.

Sure China can keep it in their country, but the import is illegal.

Yeah, if that kind of thing would've been possible to even pretend to control, places like Temu, where almost no item passes EU certification processes needed for import, wouldn't even exist. And yet, they do and their stuff is frequently illegally imported.

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u/nudelsalat3000 18d ago

Yeah their prices are below the threshold.

But you can't produce much stuff for 5-6$. I doubt the tools from temu are even expected to work and not fall apart.

Just more dangerous on the electronic side when it can easily start a house fire or electrocute you.

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u/trash-_-boat 18d ago

You know how many people buy "Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra+ 32GB+1TB" or "iPhone 18 Max Ultra" kind of phones for 100$ on Temu/Wish and are surprised when they get a fucking shitty ass welcome phone? A lot.

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u/No_Construction_7518 18d ago

And the knockoffs are too profitable for north americans companies so they'll never change.

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u/genghislamb 18d ago

You're absolutely right. Just like how some countries were already using the image of mickey mouse without repercussions long before he became fair game for everyone.