Why students need the right to copy
Reference to law-suit filed by academic publishers Oxford University Press & Cambridge University Press against Delhi University and Rameshwari Photocopying services at Delhi University alleging copyright infringement in the creation and distribution of “course packs”.
Students view: Under fair use it is legal to reproduce any copyrighted work for the course work of educational instructions and for the purpose of research, hence pressurise the publishers to withdraw the case.
Publishers view is to protect content from piracy. Publishers offered an option of acquiring a license from the Indian Reprographic Rights Organisation (IRRO) an organisation set up by publishers to collect royalties on publisher’s behalf.
The license include,
i. Paying for a right that does not exists.
ii. The IRRO and publishers may rapidly enhance the licensing fees gradually.
iii. IRRO does not hold the rights to all published work.
Publishers are claiming that “course packs” may destroy their market for books………………….
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