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Published on October 31, 2010 | by Online Editor     Photography by

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Textbooks or dinner – you decide

NAUMAN SHEIKH

Students photocopying textbooks should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!

Photocopying text books. Photo by Elena Maystruk

Photocopying text books. Photo by Elena Maystruk

The arguments for photocopying textbooks are many. Let’s, for the moment, assume that photocopying textbooks is against the law, which it is.

Should students, who are impoverished as it is, be held accountable under the law just for trying to save a few bucks?

Where and how do you draw the line between thrift and crime?

Students photocopy all the time. According to an article published in the Toronto Star, both Ryerson University and the University of Toronto have various copy machine services which let students photocopy whole textbooks for as little as $48.

However, a recent article in the Star claims that illegal photocopying costs the textbook industry $75 million per year.

Many of the Ryerson University students I spoke with admitted to photocopying books or said they know other students who do. Some even said they decided not to purchase textbooks after they saw others photocopying.

Most admitted that they know what they are doing is illegal, but said they had little choice because of their financial situation.

Perhaps the real issue is how much publishers are charging for textbooks. Many people, both faculty and students alike, believe the cost is too high.

Considering that most students only use the book a few times in their lives, maybe publishers shouldn’t be attaching such hefty price-tags to their products.

To combat the high cost of reading material, various campuses across North America are taking initiative to bring the cost of textbooks down.

By creating alternative methods of teaching, and assigning different types of course materials, they hope to reduce costs for students.

Some ideas include providing all students with a tablet computer, such as the Apple iPad, or for the institution to choose only textbooks which are available to students for free.

These initiatives are excellent. After all, a university or college’s main goal is to educate students. Whether a student spends money on a textbook or gets it for free doesn’t matter as long as they are learning.

Speaking ethically about this situation it is easy to get bogged-down by both sides of the argument.

It’s hard to think about right and wrong when you are starring at a blank bank balance and contemplating whether you can stand the thought of eating only microwave pasta for the rest of the semester.

But if you get caught photocopying your economics text book you should know this: in Canada you can get fined and might even have to serve a prison sentence for infringing on copyright.

Yes, the textbook industry needs to start providing more financial solutions to students, but you need to think about your actions before you hit the copy button.

If you don’t you could wind up learning the meaning of copyright infringement first hand.

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I'm a lover not a fighter, but if you want to fight...bring it on!



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