Zinio: Be Well Read.

Mygazines

Posted in Ask the Expert

Dear Expert:

What is your take on Mygazines? They have made a huge splash recently, but what exactly is their deal?

Jake

Dear Jake,
What is their deal? Since its launch in July this free “digital” magazine site has created a lot of talk in the digital publishing space by offering low quality scans of print magazines without publisher approval. Recently, the MPA and several publishers stated they are taking legal action against the site. However, the juiciest and most interesting buzz lately was a posting on the Magtastic Blog. Mygazines representative “John Smith” of Anguilla (where the company is located by way of a Romanian phone number) detailed that in the future state of the site, which cannot yet be revealed, all will be legal and publishers will somehow be made into partners. Further confusing the situation was the assertion that the site was no different than all the “offices in the world” who buy magazines for people in their waiting rooms to read. Huh? Mygazines has created some excellent summer scandal for the Digital Publishing Industry, but the bottom line is that they are using content from publishers without approval and they should expect to face legal action for it. Stay tuned to the Industry Resource Center for updates on the Mygazines.com story – including, hopefully, whether John Smith actually exists, and if he does indeed reside in Anguilla!

Posted on August 12th, 2008 | leave a comment | trackback