A 28-year-old man has been convicted a 30 days suspended sentence, dividend confiscation and claims for damages, for systematic illegal sale of digital textbooks. 51 works from different fields of study were involved.
146 sales of illegally copied digital textbooks via the Danish online marketplace DBA. This is the reason why the Court in Aalborg on Tuesday November 2nd, convicted a 28-year-old man a 30 days suspended sentence, confiscation of a computer and a dividend of 26.454 DKK in addition to a claim for compensation of 35.000 DKK to the rights holders.
Within a period of more than 8 months, the now convicted person has offered at least 51 digital textbooks for sale, without the permission of the rights holders. This has happened through several profiles on DBA, where the textbooks have been offered cheaply, in some cases half the price of what the original works are sold for.
Illegal sale to students from several fields of study
In November 2019, the Rights Alliance reported the now convicted man to SØIK, after gathering evidence of illegal sale of textbooks, which rights are owned by publishers that are members of Rights Alliance. The Rights Alliance first had the illegal ads taken down and made direct contact with the now convicted person, asking him to stop the violations. However, it had no effect as the illegal sale subsequently continued through newly created profiles on DBA. The systematic sale referred to textbooks for several different fields of study.
Maria Fredenslund, director of the Rights Alliance, says:
“It has major consequences for rights holders that their digital books are being copied and sold illegally. On behalf of both authors and publishers, I am therefore pleased that SØIK is focusing on this type of infringement. The decision also sends a clear signal that illegal sale of digital textbooks does not pay off. In fact, there is a risk of severe punishment, through confiscation, compensation and a prison sentence. “
Copying undermines Danish production of textbooks
Among the copied digital textbooks is a book by Hans Jørgen Biede, which is published by the Danish publisher “Hans Reitzels Forlag”. Hans Jørgen Biede, associate professor at the Aarhus Business Academy, says about the case:
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time that I experience that my books are copied and shared illegally. The digital editions have been copied previously and this kind of theft upsets me, because worst case it undermines the financial basis for textbooks to be written in Danish in the future.”