Publishers Fight Back Against Schoolbook Piracy
"Textbooks are way too expensive," he says, huddled among friends in front of Brooklyn's St. Francis College. Everyone nods in agreement. "But if you're willing to put in the effort, you can find free PDFs of books posted online. I know it's illegal, but times are hard."
Textbook piracy is on the rise, spurred by the expense of course materials and the popularity of computer tablets and e-readers. Some in the publishing industry have likened the proliferation of book-sharing sites to the launch of Napster a decade ago. But learning from the missteps of the music industry, textbook publishers have been quick to embrace the new technology.
