Copyright uh-oh

[MaryAnn]

I bought something on ebay that I have only seen before sold as a series of CDs (a learning system) and there it was in mp3 download for a price I was able to pay (cannot now afford the CD version, which is many hundreds of $$, and the entire course with mp3 download was $55.)
I even went through the process with the seller to find a way to have it download fine on my mac, was the test case.
So then I went to put the mp3s on CDs so I can play them in my truck stereo, and they look bootlegged to me (funny names, wrong names, you know, but the material behind the wrong names was correct.) In short did NOT look like an official mp3 version of what I had previously bought on CDs (but which I was delighted to find since I could now afford it.)
So I wrote the seller asking if he were an official seller of said product, because theses looked like illegal copies to me. The seller, during all previous contacts, has responded immediately if not sooner, but this time....nothing.
Since I have things in print under copyright (music) I am more copyright sensitive than most probably, and I have / had ZERO desire to buy a bootlegged set of mp3s. Having bought them though, if they are bootlegged, I would be guilty even if innocent, so to speak. I can't return them to seller because they are mp3s.
So, advice from the TNFJ? This guy is selling on ebay.

[MaryAnn]

Is "looks like" enough to accuse him of fraud, or is this something I should just let Paypal determine?

[MaryAnn]

I am trying to avoid legal consequences to myself, being made an example of as sometimes happens. So I am being cautious. I would really like to hear from someone with legal training.

[MaryAnn]

Thanks.Answer from the person I bought it from: (all correspondence is through ebay official site.)

Thank you for contacting us.

We are an authorized distributor. As an authorized distributor we are also able to sell authorized downloads in MP3 version. The downloads contain all of the lessons, the reading booklet and user’s guide in PDF format.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions.
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So I guess a) possibly he is legit; or b) I should ask the CD distributor and see what they say; c) figure this makes me less susceptible to prosecution should he be lying.

People who download pirated music (which this is not) have had huge fines levied; I remember one kid who downloaded something and whose parents were used as examples and had to pay an enormous fine. They didn't even know the kid did it.

[tofu]

Contact the creator of the product, ask if this outfit is an official distributor. You don't have to disclose you've already bought. Use a new email address etc. if you feel the need to cloak your identity. If the outfit is not legit ask for your money back and decide if you want to pursue notifying ebay/paypal/creator of product etc.

[Donn]

Might also include details on the "funny names, wrong names, you know" you found in the material - what names, where they appear etc. The author may not know or care who's involved in distribution, but may know & care who's involved in re-publishing and how that's supposed to come out.

Donn "also with no legal training"