#Fanfiction Pocket Archive Library

[hjbender]

Apps mirroring AO3 content

An explanation and what you can do

Many of you have already heard of what’s happening (see this post). Two app developers, Woodsign and Sergey Pekar/Simple Soft Alliance have created apps that lift content from AO3 (some of it is hand-selected, as with Woodsign’s case) and made it available to people who download the app. The developers then make a profit from their apps through in-app purchases (ads) and fees to access more content.

Woodsign is the worst offender as it’s not only selecting the most popular fics from fandoms, but prompting app users to pay a fee to view more content. This goes against everything fanfiction authors stand for, and it needs to be shut down immediately.

SSA/Sergey Pekar is simply mirroring publicly available stories from AO3. Illegal? Not exactly. Unethical? Yes.

What You Can Do

Emailing AO3 about this issue will only get you the same email response. Basically, they are not responsible for maintaining or securing the content posted on their site. Individual action on the part of the author is required.

Method #1: Edit all of your fics to only be shown to registered users. Go private, basically. It’s a pain in the ass for those of us who have lots of fics to change, and non-Archive users will be SOL from now on, but this will instantly remove your content from the mirror app. Woodsign is more insidious and might require the method below.

Method #2: Download the apps and then report the developers (more info on how to do that in this post), or try contacting the developers and request they remove your content. I’ve heard reporting is a tricky process with Apple, lots of hoops to jump through, but it’s possible. If anyone has successfully reported these apps, please let me (us) know.

Okay, now what?

These are probably not going to be the last apps we see trying to make a profit off of what fanfiction authors provide for free. Stay vigilant, protect your content, report infringements, defund these apps and developers that drive traffic (and donations) away from AO3 to line their own pockets with your hard work.

If people want to read fanfiction badly enough, they can sign up for an AO3 account and read it there. I hear AO3 has a mobile app (?), there are browsers and “reader view” settings individuals can use that make it easy to read text on mobile devices, no one is going to suffer if they read fanfiction directly from the source. If anything, it will encourage more user sign-ups and donations during each fundraiser drive.

REJECT THIRD-PARTY FANFICTION APPS. THEY ARE HARMFUL TO AO3 AND THE FANFICTION COMMUNITY AT LARGE.

[delvalentine]

Hi:

Thanks for asking about the Fanfiction Pocket Archive Library app. 

Unfortunately, whenever anything is posted on the internet, there is always a risk of it being copied. It is not possible to block or prevent others from copying your work. If you want to try and reduce the chances of this happening in the future, you may want to consider locking your works to Archive users only. Doing so won't prevent all copying, but may make it less likely to happen. We checked with the OTW Legal team and our coders, and have some information to pass on.

"The OTW does not own the works posted on the Archive – they are all owned by their respective authors. For that reason, although the OTW can (and does) rely on trademark law to make sure that people don’t make confusing apps that would make people think the OTW or AO3 is associated with them, there’s nothing we can do about apps or services that contain works owned by AO3 users. That is up to the authors themselves, who own the copyrights in their fanworks. 

"Many sites have procedures (known as DMCA takedown procedures) that allow copyright owners such as fan-authors to request that their works be removed. The Fanfic Pocket Archive Library may have such procedures.  Regardless of whether those procedures exist, copyright owners can always demand that their works be removed from places they are not authorized, and as a matter of copyright law, sites should comply with such demands.

"The Apple App store also has procedures for reporting apps that infringe copyright:  https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/appstorenotices/#?lang=en The Google Play store has similar: https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905" Our Legal team wrote a post with some helpful information in a similar situation some time ago, see https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/2692 (Scroll down to “What Can Fans Do if Their Fanworks Actually Are Hosted Elsewhere.”)

To be clear, to the best of our knowledge, the FPAL app is not wholesale scraping and storing data - they're displaying content from the Archive in a very heavily modified format. The app functions as a very heavily modified site skin, with a few extra functions provided with your data within the app. Because the app's subscription fee may be explained as "to support the app's code base" and not for the content itself, it is within bounds. 

Our only suggestions are for the creators of the works to issue DMCA takedowns to the app developer, and to the appropriate app store if they find the developer response unsatisfactory.

If you have other questions about fanworks and copyright, feel free to contact the Organization for Transformative Works’ Legal team at legal@transformativeworks.org. Bella AO3 Policy & Abuse

[hjbender]

Thank you, KT! This is good news and good to know in general. The Woodsign apps have all been removed, too. Looks like the reporting and emails are working (good for us).

I’ve never had a problem using AO3’s website on my phone or iPad, either. It’s damn near perfect as it is. Why anyone would go through the trouble and unnecessary expense of using an app is just beyond me.

This is the reply received from AO3  zanymystery on twitter: https://twitter.com/zanymystery/status/1228993050346577922 reposted here with their permission to signal boost this.

Tl;dr: What the apps FictionPocket and FluffAO3 are doing, while ethically dubious, is not something AO3 can action against. However, as the apps are profiting (through ad revenue and subscription models) from creator content to which they do not own the copyright, creators can issue a DMCA takedown notice for their work.

FluffAO3′s email address:  violetsp8@gmail.com

Fanfic Pocket  Email Address:  info.catapps@gmail.com Woodsign Apss Email Address:  bojan@woodsign.hr

DMCA Sample:

My name is INSERT NAME. Your app INSERT APP NAME is infringing on at least one copyright owned by myself.

Not-for-profit fanworks are being displayed on your app without my permission and are being used to generate revenue. The original fanworks, to which I own the exclusive copyrights, can be found at:

PROVIDE WEBSITE URL

This letter is official notification under Section 512© of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (”DMCA”), and I seek the removal of the aforementioned infringing material from your app.

I am providing this notice in good faith and with the reasonable belief that rights I own are being infringed. Under penalty of perjury I certify that the information contained in the notification is both true and accurate, and I have the authority to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright(s) involved.

Should you wish to discuss this with me please contact me directly.

Thank you.

YOUR NAME

YOUR CONTACT DETAILS

YOUR EMAIL

No reply within 48 hours?

Report the app on Google Play and the Apple Store:

https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/appstorenotices/#?lang=en

https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905

If your works are on AO3, they will also be on these apps, making the app creators money. They are not copied or disseminated, but mirrored, meaning their app reads AO3, reskins it, puts in ads and then offers special features for subscribers/members. 

These are not small apps. I can’t get figures for fluff ao3, but fiction pocket has more than 100,000 downloads on google play. If only 1% of those people subscribed for one month (current cost is 99 cents) the app creator has made themselves $1000 off of essentially taking your work and putting in in their app skin, and that’s not including any ad revenue. 

[Signal Boost If You Can]

[buckevantommy]

Fanfic Pocket Archive Library (Unofficial): 

fills app with Ao3 Fanworks without Author consent

Fanfic Authors: 

Fanfic Pocket Archive Library (Unofficial): 

makes money from Stolen Ao3 Fanworks

Everyone: 

Fanfic Pocket Archive Library (Unofficial): 

:) I created it because I am a fan of fanfiction :) and I wanted to help people :) access the stories they love :)

:) If you are kind enough to give me a "tip" :) that money goes to me :) not to The Organization for Transformative Works :) or AO3 :) 

[x] [x] 

EVERYONE: 

[flarrowverse-shipyard]

This app (Android and IOS)  is mirroring works on AO3 and monetising them through ads and subscriptions

If you’re able to, we’d recommend reporting this app. If we nor AO3 make money from these works, then third parties shouldn’t either. It’s a middle finger to content creators everywhere.

[toosicktoocare]

Those fucking fanfic apps have been deleted I'm pretty sure I saw a bunch of people reporting it

Fanfic Writers 1 / Fanfic Pocket Archive 0

[freedom-shamrock]

Fanfic Pocket Archive Library

Hey all, I got AO3′s take on the unofficial app Fanfic Pocket Archive Library.  Here’s the critical element: “To be clear, to the best of our knowledge, the app is not wholesale scraping and storing data - they're displaying content from the Archive in a very heavily modified format. The app functions as a very heavily modified site skin, with a few extra functions provided with your data within the app. Because the app's subscription fee may be explained as "to support the app's code base" and not for the content itself, it is within bounds. Our only suggestions are for the creators of the works to issue DMCA takedowns to the app developer, and to the appropriate app store if they find the developer response unsatisfactory.“

So the app isn’t harvesting content.  And the ads don’t threaten AO3′s legal protections either. I’m not sure how I feel about a third party app of this nature (if it were an accessibility issue I’d for sure be fine, but I’m not sure that’s really what’s going on here), and I’ll have to think about it a bit more.

[lady-bertrams-pug]

regarding Fanfic Pocket Library and AO3

I have seen a lot of celebrating because this app has been removed from both Google Play Store and Apple store.

HOWEVER.

The app itself is still running and fully functional. You can see here that as of today, February 19th 2020, fics are still updated:

I have installed this garbage on my phone for the single purpose of keeping track.

So, this means they continue with their shittery, everybody who still has the app can continue using it, and sooner or later they will find ways to make it accessible outside the official app stores, similar to MangaRock which just keeps popping back up as soon as it's curbstomped somewhere.

IT'S NOT OVER YET!

Personally, and with much regret, I have taken the step to lock all my works on AO3 by making them only accessible to logged-in users. I hate this since I get a LOT of kudos and comments from guests but I'll rather lose the traffic than let this scum profit from my work. I sincerely hope that AO3 will soon find ways to shut them down forever, since its mostly THEIR work and dedication that gets monetized.

[samstiels-deactivated20201212]

I’ve seen quite a few posts about the “overreaction” to the Fanfiction Pocket Archive Library app (and I see the app has been taken down so kudos for that) and comparing it to the Goodreads panic

But the thing is, some people didn’t get how that app worked, and that made them panic. Which is perfectly understandable. Anyone who creates content would panic if they suddenly found links to that content in an unfamiliar place (especially one that shows ads), but sharing of fanfiction is particularly sensitive for some creators because it’s fanfiction. Idk about some of the younger kids, but I still remember faithfully attaching disclaimers to all of my fiction so Anne Rice wouldn’t sue me. So having ads anywhere near my fanfiction? Fills me with terror

But taking all that aside, I put my content on AO3. That means that if you want to be linked to it, you can go to AO3. I can give you the link, or a fic rec list/blog can give you a link. If AO3 develops an app, you can get an AO3 link to read it on the AO3 app by the same means. But that’s it. That’s all. It’s my content and what I say goes.

I don’t need to know how the app works. I don’t care if it's just an access point to AO3, just like I don’t care that Goodreads only posts reviews. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty specific about not wanting my fanfiction listed on Goodreads. I don’t want Goodreads linking to my AO3 profile, and I don’t want Goodreads reviews on my work. You wanna leave a comment or a review? Leave it on AO3. Where I posted my work. Where it lives. And I don’t need a reason for any of this. It’s my work, and what I say goes. 

So when I say that I don’t want a third party app being a portal to my fiction, then that’s fucking final. When I say I don’t want links leading to my fiction within spitting distance of Google ads, then that’s fucking final.

I don’t know why people are acting like that’s an unreasonable thing to say. 

[nasabeck]

I’ve just found my work on that piece of s**t app

THERES ALSO AN OPTION FOR USERS OF THE APP TO IMPORT OTHERS WORK FROM AO3 TOO, SO USERS ARE SUPPORTING THIS THEFT OTHER THAN JUST GIVING THEIR CASH TO THE DEVELOPER

PLEASE LEAVE A NEGATIVE REVIEW ON THIS APP PAGE AND PLEASE FLAG IT ANY WAY YOU CAN.

This is my review;

[auresalia]

Your fanfics have been illegally copied off AO3 by an app called Fanfic Pocket Archive Library and they are profiting from the distribution of your stolen stories. They are on Tumblr as @unofficialao3app

So doing literally one google search on this told me that

1. No one is copying anything from AO3, it’s just a browser re-skin with some extra features. Nothing is being stolen.

2. Aside from donations for the new front-end they’re working on, the only thing you can��“pay” for is a subscription that recommends you new fics based on what you’ve read. The app retains all the functionality of the main site whether you pay or not.

3. AO3 knows about this, and says they’re not doing anything illegal. Furthermore I wouldn’t send a DMCA because I don’t own copyright to my fanworks and filing a false report is kind of a crime anyway.

So in conclusion, I don’t care, stop sending this to people because you’re fear mongering and misrepresenting what’s happening, and please keep this fucking garbage out of my inbox.

[krispypotato]

Turns out I have 9 invitations for AO3. So if anyone is wanting to join let me know and I'll happily send them out!

[greengirl82]

Guys!

I may have abandoned writing but that doesn't mean I abandoned reading fanfics or loving them.

I did NOT give consent or permission to Fanfic Pocket Archive Library to post my work.

They are profitting off all of our hardwork. This is what AO3 is against.

Check your work! And lock your stories from getting crossposted to their app.

Instructions are here from this post.

🚨ATTENTION🚨

All Writers Published on Ao3:

This app, “Fanfic Pocket Archive Library”, is lifting all public content from Ao3 and making it available through a service they profit from.

Your work has been stolen and is being used to make money for a third party.

^above are the ways in which the app makes money off of Ao3 content. The developer is called Simple Soft Alliance. Here’s the app’s Terms and Conditions.

Any fanfiction that can be accessed without a password on Ao3 is already available in this app. Yours, mine, every fan creator’s. Whether this is illegal I do not know, but it is certainly unethical and needs to be fought. Ao3 is a site of unparalleled integrity and shows the utmost respect to creators, so this content grab is an even bigger slap in the face for that reason.

🚨Please flag/report this app in your app store. 🚨

🚩Google Playstore link

🚩Apple Store link (download app, then go to report it here )

Feel free to contact Ao3 as well to alert them to this issue. Let’s take em down, folks. In the meantime, you can put your Ao3 in private mode to prevent any more data theft.

Please reblog and tag your writer friends. Signal boost this.

[buckevantommy]

here's why i take issue with the @unofficialao3app: 

as per it's name and function it is an UNofficial platform for viewing fanfiction exclusively posted to Ao3. this rankles because Ao3 is already the perfect platform for viewing fics posted there - hence why it's the /Official/ platform. Ao3 doesn't need mobile apps because the website itself is so beautifully responsive in any web browser on mobile - and you have access to every feature (unlike the app versions of many full-functioning websites). and yet here is this outsider app swooping in with a needless platform for mobile viewing - not because it's easier to view fics on it than on Ao3, but because the creators found a loophole, an opportunity to profit from FREE fanfiction. they put out their hands asking readers to "thank" them - with money - when that thanks should be going to the thousands of tireless volunteers that help keep Ao3 the perfect ad-free platform, and to the authors themselves that keep it alive and kicking. those "tips" are better put towards Ao3's fundraising campaigns, and to those who create this wonderfully FREE content through blood sweat and tears - to those who actually deserve it. this UNofficial app is wholly unnecessary - and why go to the trouble of creating an unnecessary app unless driven by selfish motivation? the people behind this UNofficial app tried to convince readers it was a more convenient platform than the /Official/ Ao3 website - it is NOT - and had the gall to ask for monetary thanks in return. take the money out of the equation and that is still SO DAMN RUDE and ignorant - to claim that their glitchy af commercialised-for-personal-gain app does a better job of viewing FREE content than the FREE website that hosts it. 

apps like @unofficialao3app do harm to creators - and by extension, to consumers - of FREE Fanworks who choose to share (and consume) their content FREELY on FREE platforms like the /Official/ Ao3 website. if we want Fanworks to remain FREE and accessible to ALL then we have to stand up and say NO when people try to profit where they have no right. 

[toosicktoocare]

I'm so sorry about the damn pocket archive shitshow you've had to go through. Fucking assholes like that need to be stopped. I haven't been able to check if my works are up there (I hope they aren't) because either the app's been deleted off the app store or because it's not available in my country. I'm not sure which. I hope the douchebag takes off all your works immediately, and you never have to deal with this shit again. Stay strong, love you!

Thank you, love!

It’s been a mess, and I know every author who has had their works put on the app feel the same, but a positive takeaway from this is literally watching as fanfic writers supported each other and worked together to signal boost, email, and file complaints to get this app taken off of both Google Play and the Apple App Store.

People can say whatever they want about fanfic writers, but they can never say that we don’t get shit done.