Sam Chekwas, the Nigerian who was selling pirated books!!!

Justine's Blog - February 3, 2014

We Greeks are ready to believe everyone who sells Philhellenism. Lately, I ve noticed a video going around presenting Sam Chekwas, a Nigerian who had once a Greek bookstore in Astoria. This man was selling pirated copies of my book "The Lonely Path of Integrity". Hundreds of copies were seized at his store and a legal process began, | only to be stopped by his Eminence Archbishop Spyridon who wanted to forgive Chekwas for his wrongdoings.

Please, check the background of people who present themselves as heroes!!!

Archbishop Spyridon's Biography on Sale Illegally

The illegal printing and marketing of The Lonely Path of Integrity, written by Justine Frangouli, has been denounced by Exandas Publishers. The book, an authorized biography of Archbishop Spyridon, former Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, was first published in December 2000.

Purchasers of the book have alleged that thousands of pirated copies are being sold in various US cities, mainly by bookseller and publisher Sam Chekwas, the owner of a bookstore in Astoria, New York.

Chekwas's illegal activities have been reported both to Exandas Pubblishers and the District Attorney of New York by Stephania and Charis Nikolaou who had bought 100 copies of The Lonely Path of Integrity a few days ago.

However, Exandas Publishers did not limit itself to this alone.

Publisher Magda Kotzia has made a formal complaint to the Pan-Hellenic Federation of Publishers-Booksellers, the Association of Athenian Publishers-Booksellers, the Organization of Collegial Administration of Works of Word (OSDEL), the Publishers' Association of Scientific Books, the Publishers' Association of Books and the Book's National Center.

The denunciation stresses the following: "Exandas Publishers denounces the vast fraud, and the theft of intellectual ownership protected by international laws. However, it refrains at present from taking any legal measures in its effort not to compromise in any manner the prestige of the former Archbishop of America, given that the matter pertains to his authorized biography. Exandas denounces the fact that Sam Chekwas sells and resells pirated copies of the book "I Monaxia Enos Asymvivastou" (The Lonely Path of Integrity) in large quantities. This fact constitutes a danger for Greek literature, given that the said publisher has remained the sole distributor and promoter of Greek books in the United States, while he is also preparing a Greek book fair with the participation of Greek publishers."

The denunciation concludes: "We also call upon Greek publishers to denounce the act of Sam Chekwas through public communications in the Greek and American Press and to take all proper measures in order to stop the illegal circulation of pirated copies of our book in the United States."

[Translated from Greek]

Comments

spyros 25 Μαρτίου 2015 - 11:35 π.μ.

kala kai aftos thn aftoviografia enos papa-ra 8a ekane peiratiko copy? siga mhn htan kai best seller h zwh tou arxiepiskopou...eleos mono ta 8avmastika pou evale o ar8rografos deixnei poso pseftiko einai to ar8ro. sorry gia tous latinikous xarakthres...o ypologisths mou den exei ellhnikous.

Justine Frangouli 25 Μαρτίου 2015 - 7:21 μ.μ.

Εχουν κατασχεθεί 200 πειρατικά κλεψίτυπα του απατεώνα που ενδύεται την Ελληνολατρεία και πουλάει φύκια για μεταξωτές κορδέλες! Οσο για την βιογραφία του Αρχιεπισκόπου Σπυρίδωνος, ε ναι υπήρξε ευπώλητη και ακόμη πωλούνται αντίτυπα από τον εκδοτικό οίκο Εξάντας!

[ Justine's Blog
http://justinefrangouli.blogspot.com/2014/02/sam-chekwas-was-selling-pirated-books.html
February 3, 2014 ]