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title: ""Acting on purported consumer protection concerns, the legislature…"
date: 2017-05-15
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships shared a link.
---

# "Acting on purported consumer protection concerns, the legislature…

*May 15, 2017 · Facebook*

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[http://blog.pacificlegal.org/california-threatens-shut-small-booksellers/](http://blog.pacificlegal.org/california-threatens-shut-small-booksellers/){target="_blank"}
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\"Acting on purported consumer protection concerns, the legislature recently expanded its autograph law (which formerly only applied to sports memorabilia) to include any signed item worth over \$5---including books. Under that law, sellers must produce a certificate of authenticity and maintain detailed records of every sale for seven years.\
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Failure to disclose any of the required details, or to keep the certificate for the full seven years, results in outrageous penalties. Even an inadvertent omission can subject a seller to actual damages, plus a civil penalty of up to 10 times the damages, plus court costs, plus reasonable attorney's fees, plus expert witness fees, plus interest. Professional plaintiff's lawyers must be chomping at the bit. If Bill sold just 100 signed copies of a \$30 book, but six years later, couldn't locate the records noting the size of the edition, he'd be liable for (at minimum) \$30,000. Bill sells tens of thousands of signed books each year.\"
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