The Toronto Star has reported on 10 copy shops near U of T and Ryerson University who photocopy textbooks for students in violation of copyright laws. While the Star suggested that high tuition costs are the reason students might head to copy shops instead of bookstores to get their required reading, the article went a long way towards incriminating the employees of the offending copy shops.
Published Saturday, Jan. 10, the Star’s investigation found 10 copy shops near U of T and Ryerson who were willing to photocopy entire textbooks, or at least assist in binding the pages together.
Students quoted in the article called photocopying textbooks “stealing” from publishers, but argued that they had no other choice due to financial reasons. New textbooks, as any student knows, can be a major expense, sometimes exceeding the $1,300 estimated by the Star.
Publishers claim that they lose $75 million annually in revenue to piracy, amounting to a full quarter of their business. The Star did not report any independent figures.
