Authors in Russia are facing a significant issue with the illegal distribution of their works, according to a recent study conducted by the samizda platform “plunging”. The survey revealed that a staggering 61% of authors discovered their books on pirate sites within the first week of publication, with only 3% avoiding piracy altogether. Surprisingly, nearly half of the authors admitted to not taking any measures to protect their works.
The study also noted that 48% of writers observed improvements in the fight against piracy in 2024, while 44% saw no changes. Many attributed the positive developments to the proactive efforts of the samizda platform and their collaboration with the Association for Copyright Protection on the Internet (Azapi).
Pirate content primarily originates from specialized websites that frequently create “mirrors” to evade restrictions. Additionally, the messaging app Telegram is utilized for disseminating pirated copies despite authorities’ attempts to block such channels.
Not only electronic versions but also printed books are falling victim to piracy. Illegally printed copies are being circulated through online marketplaces, particularly rampant in the CIS countries. This poses a major challenge for publishers like Alpina and Eksmo-AST.
Pirated copies of works by foreign authors, comics, and manga are especially popular among pirates. Genres such as self-development, popular psychology, fantasy, and Young Adult fiction garnered the most interest.
In 2023, Daria Dontsova, Alexander Kamonikov, Stephen King, and Sergei Lukyanenko were among the most pirated authors. Works by Erofim Trofimov and Elena Star were also widely circulated illegally.
The anti-piracy memorandum currently in place was originally tailored to combat illegal video content and does not address the unique challenges faced by the book market. Publishers are hopeful that future modifications to the system will enhance efforts to combat pirate links effectively.