![\"zlib\"](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/zlibrarylo.jpg\")
Over the years, Z-Library established itself as a premier source of pirated books, serving an audience of millions of users. <\/p>\nOver the years, Z-Library established itself as a premier source of pirated books, serving an audience of millions of users. <\/p>\n
Up until a few months ago, this all happened relatively quiet. However, when the United States launched a criminal case<\/a> against two alleged operators, everything changed. <\/p>\n Z-Library lost access<\/a> to over 200 domain names late last year and, just last week, the authorities carried out a new seizure round<\/a>. Despite these enforcement actions and the pending criminal case<\/a>, the remaining Z-Library team has no plans to hide in the shadows.<\/p>\n The site swiftly switched to backup domains and remained online. However, speaking with TorrentFreak, the team says that this game of whack-a-mole likely isn\u2019t over yet and more seizures are expected in the future. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have already replaced these [seized] domains with others, but it is likely that this will not be a long-term solution as the authorities continue to seize domains,\u201d Z-Library noted. <\/p>\n These evasive actions are likely to make the site an even bigger target for U.S. law enforcement agencies including the FBI, who will be motivated to bring those responsible to justice. That\u2019s not the only concern for Z-Library, however, as the domain seizures are having another side-effect; the rise of copycats.<\/p>\n After the crackdown last year, the popular pirate library has become rather hard to find through search engines such as Google. Instead of the official site<\/a>, the top results now point to copycat platforms. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n These knockoffs use the Z-Library brand to draw visitors and that appears to be working quite well. For example, Zlibrary.to had an estimated 9.1 million visits last month, while Z-Lib.is had a reported 7.8 million visits. <\/p>\n These sites have nothing to do with the official site and, according to the Z-Library team, these copycats are unsafe. The fraudulent sites pose a security risk, the team warned its users this week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to remind you to be cautious when searching for Z-Library on Google, as there are currently several unsafe and fraudulent websites appearing at the top of the search results. These websites may steal your personal information and compromise your security,\u201d Z-Library wrote. <\/p>\n It\u2019s not possible for us to verify these claims in detail but it is clear that these sites intentionally set out to confuse the public. That\u2019s also happening on Twitter, where one of the copycats is having fun with more than 20k followers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n These sites don\u2019t stop at simply impersonating Z-Library either. We previously noticed that some of these copycats use DMCA notices to protect \u2018their\u2019 brand<\/a>.<\/p>\n For example, someone named \u201cMahut Aydin\u201d didn\u2019t like this Reddit thread<\/a> that claims Z-lib.is is a scam. They sent Google a DMCA notice<\/a> asking to remove it from search results, but that effort failed. <\/p>\n Zlibrary.to also sent an unusual takedown notice<\/a> to Google. The copycat website asked Google to remove several URLs from Ebookchase.com from its search engine, claiming that the site is \u201cstealing\u201d their works.<\/p>\n Google likely realized that something was off as the search engine didn\u2019t comply with either of these requests. That said, the same copycat sites continue to take the top \u201cZlibrary\u201d spots of search results today.<\/p>\n From: TF<\/a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.<\/p>\nSeizures Sow Confusion<\/h2>\n
Copycat Warning<\/h2>\n
![\"zlibrary](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/zlib-google.jpg\")
<\/center><\/p>\nScammy Google Takedowns<\/h2>\n
![\"zlibrary](\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/zlibis.jpg\")
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