Copyright Infringement in a Book Published by AuthorHouse / Author Solutions / The Najafi Companies: Publisher Fails to Respond or Take Required Action

BY SCOTT M. GRAFFIUS | ScottGraffius.com

Scott M Graffius - Quiz - Copyright Infringement in a Book Published by AuthorHouse - Author Solutions - The Najafi Companies - LwRes



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Introduction

Publishers must respond decisively to reports of copyright infringement by swiftly acknowledging complaints, conducting thorough investigations, and taking appropriate actions.

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Quiz Question

The visual at the top of this article depicts a quiz related to a real situation. Here's the question:

You discovered blatant copyright infringement in a book published by AuthorHouse / Author Solutions / The Najafi Companies. You reported it—with detailed specifics and indisputable evidence—to the publisher. What should happen next (within five business days)?

๐Ÿ”˜ A. The publisher replies with, 'Thank you for alerting us about the violation; we’re looking into it.'

๐Ÿ”˜ B. The publisher challenges you to a duel to defend their honor.

๐Ÿ”˜ C. The publisher does not respond nor take any required action.

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Quiz Answer

The question is about what should happen. For that reason, the correct answer is: 'A. The publisher replies with, 'Thank you for alerting us about the violation; we're looking into it.'

When publishers receive a report of copyright infringement, they should promptly acknowledge receipt of the report by responding within no longer than five business days. This action demonstrates transparency, professionalism, and a commitment to maintaining the integrity of the publication. Conversely, not expeditiously acknowledging receipt of the report conveys a lack of transparency, a lack of professionalism, and a lack of commitment to integrity.

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Radio Silence by the Publisher

It would be nice if the quiz above was just a hypothetical/thought experiment. Unfortunately, it's related to the real situation where Scott M. Graffius discovered blatant violation of his copyright in a book published by AuthorHouse / Author Solutions / The Najafi Companies. Graffius notified the publisher of the violation on 2 October 2024.

As mentioned earlier, publishers should promptly acknowledge receipt of copyright violatioon reports by responding within no longer than five business days. As of the date of this article (17 October 2024), 10 business days have elapsed since the violation was reported. And the publisher maintains radio silence.

Copyright infringement is bad. By not acknowledging receipt of the report, the publisher made the bad situation worse. And the publisher has not yet removed the infringing publication.

It is imperative that the publisher demonstrates—through its actions—a commitment to upholding the highest standards of ethics and intellectual property rights. The publisher must take immediate and decisive action. Otherwise, the publisher is knowingly endorsing, permitting or otherwise allowing ongoing misinformation and the perpetual violation of Graffius' intellectual property.

Details follow.

If there's an update on this consequential matter after this article is published, the information will appear in the Post-Publication Notes section.

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Details on the Copyright Violation

On 2 October 2024, Scott M. Graffius observed a violation of his copyright in a book published by AuthorHouse / Author Solutions / The Najafi Companies. That same day, Graffius wrote to the publisher. His email was titled, 'Your infringing 'Leadership and Management Compendium' 2024 publication violates the 2021 copyright of Scott M. Graffius, damages.' It contained detailed specifics and indisputable evidence. Saved as a PDF, Graffius' email is 12 pages.

Excerpts from Graffius' 12-page email follow. They're shown in blue italic font.

A book published by AuthorHouse—which is part of Author Solutions, which is owned by The Najafi Companies—violates the copyright of Scott M. Graffius. The infringement constitutes a profound and disgraceful breach of professional ethics, moral standards, and Graffius’ intellectual property rights. Here are the specifics on the publication.

  • Infringing Publication: Leadership and Management Compendium
  • Publisher of Infringing Publication: AuthorHouse which is part of Author Solutions which is owned by The Najafi Companies
  • Author of Infringing Publication: David Obatomi
  • Publication Date for Infringing Publication: 4 September 2024
  • Product Information for Softcover Format of Infringing Publication: Dimensions 6x9, Page Count 510, ISBN-13 979-8823088893, ASIN B0DG61RVJV
  • Product Information for E-book Format of Infringing Publication: ISBN-13 979-8823088909, ASIN‏: B0DGCYQB9P

Details follow.

Informed by the research of Bruce W. Tuckman, Ph.D., and Mary Ann C. Jensen, over 100 subsequent studies, and Scott M. Graffius’ first-hand professional experience with, and analysis of, team leadership and performance, Graffius created his ‘Phases of Team Development.’ It’s a unique perspective on the five phases of team development—Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning—and it’s inclusive of the characteristics/features/traits and strategies for each phase.

Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ intellectual property is registered with the United States Copyright Office.

Graffius initially developed his intellectual property in 2008, and he periodically refreshes it. For reference, an authorized example of his copyrighted property applicable in this case (2021 edition) is here: https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22040.42246 . It is shown below as well (in Exhibit 1).

Graffius v Author Solutions AuthorHouse The Najafi Companies David Obatomi - Exhibit 1 - LwRes

As shown above, Graffius’ copyright ownership details are integrated into and appear on his copyrighted property. Specifically, it reads: “Copyright © 2008-2021 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. For permission requests, contact scott@scottgraffius.com.”

Conference organizers, businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and universities around the world engage Graffius to deliver compelling talks and workshops. To date, he’s presented sessions at 91 conferences and other events across 25 countries, including:

  • Armenia,
  • Australia,
  • Brazil,
  • Canada,
  • Czech Republic,
  • Finland,
  • France,
  • Germany,
  • Greece,
  • Hong Kong,
  • Hungary,
  • India,
  • Ireland,
  • Lithuania,
  • Luxembourg,
  • Nepal,
  • Netherlands,
  • New Zealand,
  • Norway,
  • Romania,
  • Sweden,
  • Switzerland,
  • United Arab Emirates,
  • United Kingdom,
  • and the United States.

Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ intellectual property is central and key to many of those sessions. His rate card and a listing of his engagements are at https://scottgraffius.com/resources/Exceptional-PPM-and-PMO-Solutions-Rate-Card-for-2024-2025-v24071607.pdf and https://scottgraffius.com/publicspeaker.html, respectively.

With an authorization/license from Graffius, many organizations around the world have featured and used his copyrighted ‘Phases of Team Development’ work. Select examples include:

  • Adobe,
  • American Management Association,
  • Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute,
  • Boston University,
  • Broadcom,
  • Cisco,
  • Deimos Aerospace,
  • DevOps Institute,
  • Erste Group Bank AG (Austria),
  • FINAT,
  • Ford Motor Company,
  • FSU College of Medicine,
  • Hasso Plattner Institute (Germany),
  • IEEE,
  • Johns Hopkins University,
  • LeadingEng,
  • London South Bank University,
  • Manufacturers Alliance,
  • Microsoft,
  • New Zealand Government,
  • Oracle,
  • Royal Australasian College of Physicians,
  • TBS Switzerland,
  • Torrens University (Australia),
  • Tufts University,
  • U.S. National Park Service,
  • U.S. Tennis Association,
  • UC San Diego,
  • UK Sports Institute,
  • University of Galway (Ireland),
  • Victorian Institute of Technology (Australia),
  • Virginia Tech,
  • Warsaw University,
  • Western Sydney University (Australia),
  • World Resources Institute,
  • Yale University,
  • ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences,
  • and many others.

Details on the infringement follow.

The next visual (Exhibit 2) delineates that AuthorHouse is part of Author Solutions, and Author Solutions is owned by The Najafi Companies.

Graffius v Author Solutions AuthorHouse The Najafi Companies David Obatomi - Exhibit 2 - LwRes

The visual below (Exhibit 3) shows the publisher’s book, Leadership and Management Compendium, on the publisher’s website.

Graffius v Author Solutions AuthorHouse The Najafi Companies David Obatomi - Exhibit 3 - LwRes

The following visual (Exhibit 4) shows the infringing Leadership and Management Compendium 2024 book violating the 2021 copyright of Graffius. The infringing 2024 book uses Graffius’ 2021 copyrighted ‘Phases of Team Development’ property. The infringing 2024 book labeled Graffius’ 2021 copyrighted property at “Figure 3.5a.”

Graffius v Author Solutions AuthorHouse The Najafi Companies David Obatomi - Exhibit 4 - LwRes

Again, Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ intellectual property includes this: “Copyright © 2008-2021 Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved. For permission requests, contact scott@scottgraffius.com.”

Permission was not requested to use Graffius’ 2021 copyrighted ‘Phases of Team Development’ property.

Permission was not provided to use Graffius’ 2021 copyrighted ‘Phases of Team Development’ property.

Nevertheless, the infringing 2024 Leadership and Management Compendium book inappropriately included 2021 Graffius’ copyrighted property.

The infringing Leadership and Management Compendium 2024 book uses the majority (the entire visual) of 2021 Graffius’ protected property.

The infringement involves the commercial use of Graffius’ copyrighted property.

Others, not Graffius, are financial beneficiaries of the infringing Leadership and Management Compendium 2024.

For the aforementioned reasons, the use of Graffius’ copyrighted property was not ‘fair use’ nor ‘fair dealing’ nor otherwise allowed.

Copyright infringement undermines the hard work and innovation of others and is a disgraceful, unprofessional, dishonest, immoral, unethical, and illegal practice.

Graffius maintains, enforces, and protects his copyright and other intellectual property rights.

You must IMMEDIATELY implement the following three (3) actions:

1. Remove the Infringing Book
1 (a). Electronic Versions: Immediately remove the infringing book (in any language or form or format) from all digital platforms where it is advertised, promoted, sold or distributed. This includes removing or disabling any online access to it. Recall/retract any electronic editions of the book sold or otherwise distributed.
1 (b). Physical Copies: If physical copies of the infringing book (in any language or form or format) are in inventory or circulation, stop all further distribution. Recall any copies already sold or otherwise distributed.

2. Issue a Retraction
Publish a formal retraction notice acknowledging the infringement and the steps taken to rectify the situation. The notice will present the facts as they are; the notice will not “spin” or “downplay” the infringement. The notice is to be clearly visible and accessible.

3. Update Databases and Indexes
Notify databases or indexing services about the removal of the infringing book so they can update their records accordingly.

The infringement damaged the marketability and value of Graffius’ intellectual property.

Graffius reserves all rights in this disturbing, damaging, and consequential matter.

The preceding provided excerpts of key content—not the full transcript—of Graffius' email.

Copyright infringement constitutes a profound and disgraceful breach of professional ethics, moral standards, and Graffius’ intellectual property rights.

It is shocking that the publisher has not yet responded to Graffius' report of the violation. By not acknowledging receipt of the report, the publisher signals a lack of transparency, a lack of professionalism, and a lack of commitment to integrity.

It is imperative that the publisher (AuthorHouse / Author Solutions / The Najafi Companies) demonstrates through their actions a commitment to upholding the highest standards of ethics and intellectual property rights. The publisher must take immediate and decisive action.

This troubling and consequential case is open.

If there's an update after this article is published, the information will appear in the Post-Publication Notes section.

Read on to learn:

  • About the Publisher,
  • About Scott M. Graffius,
  • References/Sources,
  • How to Cite This Article,
  • Post-Publication Notes,
  • and more.

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About the Publisher

The publisher, AuthorHouse, is part of Author Solutions, which is owned by
The Najafi Companies.

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About Scott M. Graffius


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Scott M. Graffius is a global leader in agile project management, an expert on teamwork tradecraft, an authority on temporal dynamics on social media platforms, a creator, a consultant, a trainer, an award-winning author, and an international public speaker.

See his
bio to learn more.

Scott M Graffius on X - SG on X Design 2 - v Feb 7 2024 - LwRes

Scott M Graffius - Impact_com Platform for Influencers and Affiliates - v April 7 2024 - rev April 10 2024 - LwRes

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About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

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Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive.

There are a variety of frameworks supporting the development of products and services, and most approaches fall into one of two broad categories: traditional or agile. Traditional practices such as waterfall engage sequential development, while agile involves iterative and incremental deliverables. Organizations are increasingly embracing agile to manage projects, and best meet their business needs of rapid response to change, fast delivery speed, and more.

With clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions,
Scott M. Graffius's award-winning Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps the reader:

  • Implement and use the most popular agile frameworkโ€•Scrum;
  • Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
  • Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.

Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”

Winner of 17 first place awards.

Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.



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About
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change

Scott_M_Graffius_Agile_Transformation_LR_1000x505

Thriving in today's marketplace frequently depends on making a transformation to become more agile. Those successful in the transition enjoy faster delivery speed and ROI, higher satisfaction, continuous improvement, and additional benefits.

Based on actual events,
Agile Transformation: A Brief Story of How an Entertainment Company Developed New Capabilities and Unlocked Business Agility to Thrive in an Era of Rapid Change provides a quick (60-90 minute) read about a successful agile transformation at a multinational entertainment and media company, told from the author's perspective as an agile coach.

The award-winning book by
Scott M. Graffius is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow.



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References/Sources


The following is a list of material on publishing standards and procedures. Some cover the reporting and handling of copyright infringement.

  1. Alter, Alexandra (2019, September 22). It’s a Fact: Mistakes are Embarrassing the Publishing Industry. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/business/publishing-books-errors.html.
  2. American Psychological Association (2019, November). Correction Notices. Available at: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/research-publication/correction-notices.
  3. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) (2018, November 15). ACM Publications Policy on the Withdrawal, Correction, Retraction, and Removal of Works from ACM Publications and ACM DL. Available at: https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/retraction-policy.
  4. Cambridge University Press (n.d.). Publishing Ethics. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/flow/information/journal-policies/publishing-ethics.
  5. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (n.d.). Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections. Available at: https://publicationethics.org/postpublication.
  6. Elsevier (n.d.). Policy and Best practice: Errata & Corrigenda. Available at: https://www.elsevier.com/editor/perk/policy-and-best-practice-errata-and-corrigenda.
  7. Emerald Publishing (n.d.). Article Withdrawal & Correction. Available at: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/publish-with-us/author-policies/article-withdrawal-correction.
  8. Faust, Jessica (2007, October 3). Typos and Errors After Publication. Available at: https://bookendsliterary.com/typos-and-errors-after-publication.
  9. Graffius, Scott M. (2024, March 22). The Protocol for Reporting an Error to an Author or Publisher. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/error-reporting.html. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.18830.98883.
  10. Graffius, Scott M. (2021, November 10). An Error Was Introduced Into the Seventh Edition of 'A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)'. Available at: https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/pmbok7.html.
  11. Idunn (n.d.). Publishing and Research Ethics Policy. Available at: https://www.idunn.no/info/publiseringsetikk.
  12. IEEE (n.d.). Publishing Ethics: Guidelines and Policies: Post-Publication Policies. Available at: https://books.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/book-publishing-at-ieee/publishing-ethics/guidelines-and-policies/post-publication-policies.
  13. Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) (n.d.). Guidelines for Ethical Behavior in Publishing. Available at: https://pubsonline.informs.org/page/opre/guidelines-for-ethical-behavior-in-publishing.
  14. IntechOpen (n.d.). Retraction and Correction Policy. Available at: https://www.intechopen.com/page/retraction-and-correction-policy.
  15. Marasoviฤ‡, Tea; Utrobiฤ‰iฤ‡, Ana; and Maruลiฤ‡, Ana (2018, March 31). Transparency of Retracting and Replacing Articles. The Lancet, 391 (10127): 1244-1245.
  16. Nature (n.d.). Editorial and Publishing Policies. Available at: https://www.nature.com/srep/journal-policies/editorial-policies.
  17. O’Reilly Media (n.d.). Errata for Java in a Nutshell. Available at: https://www.oreilly.com/catalog/errata.csp?isbn=0636920030775.
  18. Palgrave Macmillan (n.d.). Corrections and Retractions. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/editorial-policies/corrections-and-retractions.
  19. Pearson Education / InformIT (n.d.). Contact Us: Submit Errata. Available at: https://www.informit.com/about/contact_us/index.aspx?ContactUs_Topics_Partners_id=9d39709c-c911-4c96-ac2c-2c5a22d68ba9.
  20. Project Management Institute (PMI) (n.d.). PMI Standards Program Comment Form. Available at: https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/pmbok-standards/pmi-standards-program-comment-form.pdf.
  21. Project Management Institute (PMI) (n.d.). Standards Errata Sheets. Available at: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/errata-sheets.
  22. Public Library of Science (PLOS) (n.d.). Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions. Available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/corrections-and-retractions.
  23. SAE International (n.d.). ARINC Standard – Errata Report Template. Available at: https://wcm14.sae.org/site/binaries/content/assets/itc/content/arinc/errata-form.docx [note: selecting the link will download the file].
  24. Sage Publications (n.d.). Sage Corrections and Retractions Policy. Available at: https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/sage-corrections-and-retractions-policy.
  25. Science Publishing Group (n.d.). Ethical Guidelines. Available at: https://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/information/ethical-guidelines.
  26. Springer (n.d.). Editorial Policies: Corrections and Retractions. Available at: https://www.springer.com/gp/editorial-policies/corrections-and-retractions.
  27. Taylor & Francis (n.d.). Publishing Ethics for Journal Editors: FAQs. Available at: https://editorresources.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-ethics-for-editors/publishing-ethics-faqs.
  28. Ubiquity Press (n.d.). Correction and Retraction Policy. Available at: https://ubiquitypress.com/site/corrections.
  29. Warner, Brooke (2019, April 26). How to Publish a Perfect Book. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/79902-how-to-publish-a-perfect-book.html.
  30. Wiley (n.d.). Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics. Available at: https://authorservices.wiley.com/ethics-guidelines/index.html.
  31. Wiley Author Services (n.d.). Wiley's Policy for Handling Retractions, Withdrawals, and Expressions of Concern. Available at: https://authorservices.wiley.com/ethics-guidelines/retractions-and-expressions-of-concern.html.
  32. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (n.d.). Managing Intellectual Property in the Book Publishing Industry. Available at: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/copyright/868/wipo_pub_868.pdf.

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How to Cite This Article


Graffius, Scott M. (2024, October 17). Copyright Infringement in a Book Published by AuthorHouse / Author Solutions / The Najafi Companies: Publisher Fails to Respond or Take Required Action. Available at:
https://scottgraffius.com/blog/files/the-najafi-companies.html.
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Post-Publication Notes

If there are any supplements or updates to this article after the date of publication, they will appear here.

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๏ฟผ
Content Acknowledgements

This article uses limited excerpts from the publisher (AuthorHouse / Author Solutions / The Najafi Companies) and the infringing publication, attributed to their respective owners and used under fair use for news reporting and analysis.

Graffius’ ‘Phases of Team Development’ is copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.


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Copyright


Copyright © Scott M. Graffius. All rights reserved.

Content on this site—including text, images, videos, and data—may not be used for training or input into any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automatized learning systems, or published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius.


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