Re: Course packets questions

Jim Lawrence <jsl10[_at_]cornell.edu> wrote:
>>
>> Here's an example:
>>
>> A Prof wants to use half of a book, but doesn't want the students to buy
>> it since it costs $70. We can't get permission to copy over 10%. What's
>> the Prof to do?

(This was presented as an example of a "burning question" that might be asked at a San Diego conference.)

I'm new to this list and no doubt march to the beat of a different drummer, but how about this as a possible answer:

  Pay the $70
    or
  copy only 10%
    or
  talk to the publisher about a custom-publishing deal.

In other words, from my perspective, the sense of outraged entitlement I hear behind some of these questions is confusing. If an author or publisher owns the copyright to a book, someone else who wants to use it has to pay for it; such is capitalism.

I truly don't mean to be facetious or provocative--it's just clear to me that I don't understand this point of view at all.

Denise Wydra
<dwydra[_at_]aol.com> Received on Mon Apr 15 1996 - 14:31:18 GMT