Puffin Books has finally admitted that they did delete an educational resource relating to a much-loved children’s book series. This decision was made only after their realization that the third party had assumed ownership of the domain. The site was formerly owned by Derby writer Andrew Cope. It was packed with artists, highlighting the series he has often told us is his favorite—argent-winning, critically acclaimed Spy Dog, Spy Cat, Spy Pups series! These books star funny animals with gadgets, solving mysteries, going on secret agent missions, and appealing to a middle-grade readership.
The submission of the website, which was the URL literally printed on the cover of the above books, resulted in the link being directed to “illegal” adult material. This find raised alarms with the parents at a number of schools, one of which received an alert about the location. Puffin Books later asserted that a third party had uploaded the explicit content. This party was able to acquire the domain after it expired under Cope’s ownership.
Andrew Cope’s website had been a happy retreat for admirers of his delightful creations — right up until the strange metamorphosis began. Once the domain expired, a third party quickly snatched it up. This move broke the trust of parents and guardians who had come to depend on the safety of Cope’s content.
Affected website Nominet, the UK registry service provider, took decisive action by suspending the site for violating the Online Safety Act. According to the organization, the website did not use proper age verification—an important stipulation of the law.
“We have suspended this website for breaching our terms and conditions. The website did not conduct suitable age verification as required under the Online Safety Act – and we have advised the domain owner and its registrar. The web address featured in this popular children’s book series had been allowed to expire by the previous owner and was subsequently purchased by a third party. It is recommended that those using web addresses in prominent locations continue ownership of the domain to avoid issues like this.” – Nominet spokesman
In light of these events, we attempted to contact Puffin Books and Andrew Cope for further comment. Despite this, they failed to issue any public proclamations condemning the violence.
