Anti-Piracy Patent Stops Students From Sharing Textbooks

[twakefield]

http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-pat ... ks-120610/

A new patent granted this week aims to stop students from sharing textbooks, both off and online. The patent awarded to economics professor Joseph Henry Vogel hopes to embed the publishing world even further into academia. Under his proposal, students can only participate in courses when they buy an online access code which allows them to use the course book. No access code means a lower grade, all in the best interests of science.

Source: TorrentFreak - "Ernesto"

It's a bit worrying that publishers now want to force students to buy their own copy of text books in the name of "preventing piracy". Borrowing textbooks from a friend, from a library, or buying second hand will leave students without a code required to access certain parts of their course material.

[Pedgeth]

I'd be tempted to argue that this would be against the law in the UK (or against regulations in some way) due to the way tuition fees are managed and applied. If I pay my tuition fee in full I think I have every right to demand the ability to get the highest grades to my ability, without having to pay a textbook publisher anything on top.

[jamestilburn]

Don't worry, I've just spoken to Nick Clegg and he's agreed to sign a pledge confirming Universities will not be allowed to do this.

[Pedgeth]

Sorry James, how far exactly was your tongue in your cheek just there? :p

[jamestilburn]

Ok, I made it up. When I spoke to him he just shrugged and then curled up into the foetal position and rolled around on the floor.

[twakefield]

Ok, I made it up. When I spoke to him he just shrugged and then curled up into the foetal position and rolled around on the floor.

Seems believable. I would have also accepted "he told me to ask Dave"

[lostsparrow]

That reminds me of the story here https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html Seems that truth is quickly catching up with fiction.