Editorial Director Calls Pirated Copies of Jørn Lier Horst’s Audiobooks – VG

Editorial Director Ann-Kristin Vasselen at Lydbokforlaget is now taking a hard line against what she believes to be illegal copies in circulation.

– We maintain that this is illegal and violates copyright. We will now send letters to the author, editor and sales department to emphasize this. We have clearly notified this to Ebok Pluss before, and also through a lawyer to the authors, Vasselen tells VG.

He notes that seven authors, led by Jørn Lier Horst, have re-recorded a total of 84 of their audiobooks, after claiming to have recovered the rights to Lydbokforlaget (owned by Aschehoug and Gyldendal).

I have the author getting up with you: Enough!

The books were intended to be available on Storytel, Cappelen Damm’s streaming service, which has a much larger market share than Lydbokforlaget’s Fabel (owned by Gyldendal and Aschehoug). But Storytel said no because of the dispute over the rights to the books.

Now it is Strawberry Publishing who claims to have obtained the rights to all 84 audiobooks. And today, the first six books of Jørn Lier Horst’s best-selling children’s book series “Detektivbyrå nr 2” and the first two books of the Clue series were published on Ebok Pluss (owned by Vigmostad & Bjørke), both for sale individual as for transmission.

– Pirate copies

Even though the rights to the audiobooks are in dispute.

– What they have done is take the rights that belong to Lydbokforlaget and create new editions of audiobooks that we consider pirated copies. These are now in circulation at Ebok Pluss, and we are seriously looking at it, says Vasselen, publications manager at Lydbokforlaget, to VG.

-Do you want to demand that these be taken by the energy service?

– We will send this letter and continue the dialogue with the parties, says Vasselen.

In a recent article on VG, he went into more detail about what he thinks this conflict and the rights dispute is about.

Author Jørn Lier Horst tells VG that this is completely straightforward for him.

– I have regained my rights, I have signed a new agreement with Strawberry Publishing, I have recorded 21 books again and now they are available on Ebok plus and possibly other sales channels, says Lier Horst.

– Does Lydbokforlaget think this is illegal and call it pirated copies?

– There we completely disagree. I believe that I have the full right to recover the rights and, if they think otherwise, they should take it to court.

Based on VG’s experience, the plan is to publish all 84 books, which include several best-selling series such as Anne B. Ragde’s “Berlinerpoplene”, Jørn Lier’s Horst Wisting series, and Unni Lindell’s crime series on Cato. Isaksen, on the Ebok Pluss assembly line.

Read more about the author’s uprising here: Enough!

– We support these authors who have regained their rights after being locked in the system of the big publishers, so that they can now be available for sale and streaming on all players, says leader Lene Røren on Ebok.no, who He runs the Ebok Pluss streaming service. and is owned by the publisher Vigmostad & Bjørke.

She is not concerned about the rights dispute.

– We have a regular book sale agreement and subscription book transmission with Strawberry from before, so this is a completely normal case for us. We believe that authors have the right to recover their rights and that there is no dispute here. In that case, it is a matter between Lydbokforlaget and Strawberry Publishing.

– Lydbokforlaget, do you think you published Piratkopier?

– Obviously we don’t want to say that, since we have welcomed them, says Røren.

Strawberry: – Lydbokforlaget has no case

Strawberry Publishing CEO Alexander Henriksen believes Lydbokforlaget has no case.

– Lydbokforlaget has no case. The Authors’ Association, which has been involved in creating these contracts, fully supports the right of Jørn Lier Horst and his six fellow authors to regain their rights, says Alexander Henriksen, CEO of Strawberry Publishing.

Earlier, the seven authors’ attorney, Jon Wessel-Aas, told VG that he doubted that Lydbokforlaget could stand a legal trial, if they sue for the rights.

– The agreements here are quite clear, but while the publishers acknowledge that they have no electricity rights, they also challenge the termination. At least they don’t have a good case, in my opinion. They are probably concerned that when these authors have their rights back, more authors may do the same, Wessel-Aas says.

Lawyer Mathias Lilleengen, representing Lydbokforlaget / Fabel, has told VG that they are challenging the termination of the audiobook contracts.

– Lydbokforlaget is and has always been clear that they are the ones who have these rights. The authors have stated that Lydbokforlaget has not fulfilled its activity obligation under the audiobook contract, but Lydbokforlaget does not agree with this, Lilleengen tells VG.

Flowing in great growth

Yesterday, new figures were released showing that audio streaming revenue only increased by as much as 38 percent in the third quarter compared to 2019. The streaming market is now larger than the pocketbook market.

At the same time, the struggle for power continues after several weeks of debate on VG after the seven authors Jørn Lier Horst, Unni Lindell, Anne B. Ragde, Vetle Lid Larsen, Thomas Enger, Tom Kristensen and Tom Egeland rebelled. against leading Norwegian publishers Cappelen Damm, Aschehoug. and Gyldendal and its streaming services Storytel and Fabel.

Bottom line: All seven authors reply that they believe publishers, with a few exceptions, have blocked their own authors on their own streaming services, and authors lose a lot of money on this.

This caused a lot of disagreement in the industry, and here you can read about the debate:

The author’s uprising: The giants rule

The CEO of Cappelen Damm responded to the seven authors: When a few want all the cake

Lydbokforlaget launched into the debate as follows: – Serious charges

Anne Holt, Roy Jacobsen, Helene Uri, and Gunnar Staalesen: Goodbye solidarity

The authors Sigmund Løvåsen and Anne Oterholm: – Assemble the services again!

Authors Association: Authors are tired of not getting paid for their books