Threats of legal action against those illegally sharing De Ruyter’s ebook

Just days after the release of André de Ruyter‘s tell-all memoir, the PDF version of the book has been widely circulated on WhatsApp and those sharing it could face legal action from the publisher.

Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom, published by Penguin Random House SA (PRHSA), hit the shelves on Sunday.

Truth to Power

The book, which has been two years in the making, delves into De Ruyter’s tenure as the chief executive at the embattled power utility.

It also tells the behind-the-scenes story of how De Ruyter’s launched a private investigation that exposed at least four criminal cartels feeding off Eskom.

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Pirated copies

While many people want to read the secrets De Ruyter shared in his memoir, the sales of the book are being impacted by individuals illegally sharing a PDF version of the book among friends and family online.

Legal action

PRHSA has warned that it will take legal action against any illegal distribution of De Ruyter’s book.

“Penguin Random House is appalled by the illegal distribution of a pirated PDF of Truth to Power by André de Ruyter, which is being disseminated on WhatsApp Messenger. The distribution of pirated copies infringes our copyright as well as that of the author, and it is unlawful in terms of the Copyright Act of 1976.”

PRHSA said the only way to obtain an ebook legally is to buy it from an ebook retailer or to borrow it from an authorised ebook library.

“Any copying or distribution of a pirated ebook, or any forwarding of a link to the pirated ebook, is unlawful. We will take legal action against individuals who are circulating pirated copies, which may include criminal complaints once we have collected all the necessary information.” 

Anything related to Eskom

De Ruyter also had harsh words when he learnt about the pirated ebook.

 “It seems in South Africa anything related to Eskom is prone to being stolen,” he said.

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