PDF flipbook counterfeits of DearFlip

Piracy is an ongoing problem in internet. It’s easy to grab content from other sites and display or even sell it under different name.

DearFlip, initially dFlip, started in 2016 from Codecanyon. It was listed in Codecanyon marketplace while demos and docs were displayed in flipbookplugin.com . At that time sustainibility was the main concern and not much could be done about piracy.

Codecanyon/Envato is a pirate magnet. Many WordPress plugins and theme are re-distributed across internet as nulled plugins.

As of 2020, dFlip started selling in it’s own site, dearflip.com . Now piracy could be handled and steps could be taken. There were many counterfiets of dFlip:

1. pdf-flip.com (Reported)
2. Flipbook Master, by ExtensionBase- Joomla! Extensions Directory (Reported and Removed)
3. Flipping Book, by PluginJar – Joomla! Extensions Directory (Reported)
4. Flipbook Professional, by ExtensionBase – Joomla! Extensions (Reported)

Case of Flipbook Master

We didn’t pay much attention to joomla plugin for a long time – out focus was WordPress since the beginning. But during that time many flipbook plugins were added in Joomla, more than in WordPress! WordPress doesn’t allow such counterfeit plugins.

Flipbook master was built upon dFlip Javascript/jQuery plugin and was listed as a Joomla flipbook plugin. Flipbook master claim to have purchased an extended license of the dFlip Javascript/jQuery plugin on Envato and insist that reselling was allowed. But even extended license didn’t allow following :

1. Reselling the code
2. Changing the code and rebranding it as another flipbook plugin.

Flipbook master voilated these terms and was reported to Joomla Extension Directory. It was successfully taken down in January 2018.