¶ … Jeffrey R. Young (2008) in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Internet piracy is one of the most problematic issues plaguing the it world today. This is particularly so among the student population, where time and financial constraints often serve as forces of temptation to engage in unethical or illegal activities. One of the problems recently discovered is the tendency among students to download textbooks illegally from pirate Internet sites. Young (2008) cites one of the major motivations for this to be financial difficulties concomitantly with rising textbook prices. When this is considered along with the rising inflation that touches almost every area of life today, it is hardly surprising that students will be tempted to save money by whatever means.
According to the article, the Student Public Interest Research Groups conducted a survey for a small number of students - about 500 - to determine the level of textbook piracy among the student population. The questions in the survey form part of a larger study on online textbooks, and the survey focused on students at the City Colleges of Chicago and Portland State University.
The results indicated that 27% of the students interviewed had searched for a pirated textbook at least once during their time at college. Only 8% however indicated success in downloading pirated textbooks, while 75% felt that piracy was likely to increase in response to the likelihood of rising textbook prices.
Young quotes Nicole Allen's response, indicating that the trend is far from surprising. Textbook prices range around $200, which is a significant amount when food and fuel prices, along with other student-related costs, are considered. Allen also notes that piracy cannot be condoned under any circumstances, but that it is also a reality in the digital world, and a significant temptation for the cash-challenged student.
Several officials that Young has approached for comments appear to be in agreement that the piracy problem is a widespread phenomenon. Edward MacCoyd, for example, the director of digital policy for the Association of American Publishers, is "troubled" by the "striking" findings. His company regards the problem as so serious that they hired the law firm Covington & Burling to search for sites offering pirated textbooks and send requests to remove the content.
According to the firm's officials, and notably Peter Anaman, substantiates the general consensus regarding the seriousness of the problem. Although only a small percentage of the student sample have declared their success in downloading pirated books, Covington & Burling find thousands of sites per month that offer illegal material to students and any other interested parties.
Young (2008) also notes that the company Audible Magic is a sign of the increasing significance of the piracy problem. Audible magic manufactures software for the purpose of identifying illegal file sharing particularly on campuses. The newest version of the software includes a filter to detect illegal textbook sharing and trade. According to the article, about 70 colleges have invested in Audible Magic on their campuses, although this is still mostly used only for detecting the illegal use of films and music. The textbook filter was added on request from several college officials, and the company is currently working to add specific titles for the search function.
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