Comments on: ACP members get a sneak peek, share ideas for BookRiff

By: Julie Morris

Julie Morris — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:19:44 +0000

Hi Graham,
I think the type of photocopying you’re talking about happens everywhere, regardless of how well acknowledged or enforced copyright is. Students and professors alike copy portions of text for their own personal use or for academic use, which in most cases is allowed by the owner of the publication (under fair use clauses in most copyright law). The idea is that through using BookRiff, a professor could gather a number of texts or portions of texts and have them printed and bound for class use. So rather than sending students on a mad hunt for dozens of loose photocopies they will inevitably stuff in a binder with other class material, a prof could have all course materials printed and bound in one handy paperback. I’m sure you can imagine other uses… personal travel guides, updated books, fan fiction with extra material, event guides, and more.

By: Graham Porterhouse

Graham Porterhouse — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:16:13 +0000

Great idea.
As a former student, who studied a BA (Hons) in publishing, I am very interested in these kind of developments. They are a great idea in countries where copyright is very well controlled (I believe in paying for other people’s work).
However, I am European. I am from one European country, and my girlfriend is from another. We used some hand outs in class, that were photocopies. But the basis of all classes were given from text books that had to be borrowed from the library or bought.
My girlfriend recieved her notes by going to University library and making photocopies of the piles of already photocopied excerpts from books (left their by her various tutors). Only paying for the cost of the photocopy machine.
Basically what I am saying is that this will work in some countries and should be very much encouraged. But it will not work internationally.