Amazon, bestselling authors allege e-book piracy in lawsuit against online bookstore

Amazon joined several bestselling authors and another book publisher in suing an online bookstore that they say sells pirated e-books.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Seattle, alleges that Ukraine-based KISS Library operates sites including Kissly.net, Libly.net and CheapLibrary.com

that illegally copy, distribute and sell e-books at discounted prices to unsuspecting U.S. readers.

Those books include works by Sylvia Day, John Grisham, Scott Turow and other members of the Authors Guild who filed the suit with Amazon Publishing and Penguin Random House.

“Unlike authorized sites that pay for the books they sell, KISS Library keeps all the proceeds that it illegally obtains from American readers,” said Mary Rasenberger, executive director of the Authors Guild. “Not a single penny goes to the authors or publishers that produce the books.”

KISS Library could not be reached for comment.