Publishers Sue Google over Pirate Sites (www.publishersweekly.com)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by BodaciousMunchkin@links.hackliberty.org to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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[-] ultratiem@lemmy.ca 89 points 6 months ago

Hi, I'm a publisher and I'm really sad reading some of these replies. Yes we turn a $5 textbook into $500. And yes we don't pay the authors anything. In fact, we routinely work together to make sure they can't even go anywhere else and get paid. Yes, we exploit laws and have lobbyists in every government to protect our interests.

But we are people too! We have feelings! And it hurts to read some of the replies that blame us for being greedy. We are, but it still hurts hearing it. Please do better internet!!

[-] Flatworm7591@lemmy.dbzer0.com 68 points 6 months ago

Omg poor publishers not able to make a 2000% markup on their textbooks as per usual - think about the CEOs' bonuses guys!

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[-] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 10 points 6 months ago

New copypasta just dropped

[-] krimsonbun 31 points 6 months ago

This is one of the only times you'll see me defend google.

[-] brax@sh.itjust.works 25 points 6 months ago

So glad I left the publishing industry. I went in with a lot of respect many years ago, but it was so gross. All about how much money could be milked from students. Accuracy of information was in second or third place of importance

[-] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 6 months ago

100%. They ripping off students selling books that are often complete garbage. In my experience "calculus" is a great example. The material is completely ossified in like the 1700s. The books are worthless tomes of useless calculations (especially in the age of computers). The whole system is about taking money, filtering people by useless exercises, and keeping people brainwashed and controllable. There's almost zero mathematical education. If they're lucky, the fundamental theorem of calculus will be mentioned for a few minutes. That's the peak of most people's education in math. It's pathetic.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/alexs-adventures-in-numberland/2015/oct/05/maths-palace-built-by-calculus-rock-star-on-sale-for-14m

[-] brax@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago

I don't even get postsecondary for a good chunk of areas... Like computer programming, for example. Why would anybody need a degree that says "I don't know how to read textbooks, use Google, and learn in my own"? I'm sure there are lots of degrees just like that

[-] 7U5K3N@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 months ago

Udemy. Video classes for nearly everything ever IT.

IT changes and morphs over time.. but the basics are static.. get those statics. Decide what direction you want to go and design a learning path.

No need for college education often times

[-] niucllos@lemm.ee 1 points 6 months ago

Because companies mostly don't want the degree to prove skill sets, which is why they don't generally ask for transcripts, just that you have a degree in a somewhat related field. The value of a bachelor's degree to a company is that it proves the applicant is capable of undertaking a ~4 year commitment, achieving a tangible result, and that they pass a threshold competence at navigating beaurocracies and interacting with other humans. The specific skills/experience the company wants are much better assessed using prior experience, interviews, assessments, etc.

[-] brax@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 months ago

It really just seems like it proves that the applicant is able to work in an environment where everything is already pre-installed and running with no need to learn basic troubleshooting, and that they were able to sit through a few years of focusing on specific aspects of a textbook and writing incredibly mundane programs... and quite possibly lack the ability to learn on their own and think outside of the box...

Interviews and testing seem like they would be a far better way to vet applicants

[-] Cassa 11 points 6 months ago

who is "publishers"? I mean, is this a consortium or smth?

[-] Flatworm7591@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 6 months ago

In publishers' ongoing fight to shutdown pirate sites, Cengage, Elsevier, Macmillan Learning, and McGraw Hill filed a lawsuit on June 5 accusing Google of promoting pirated copies of their textbooks. In the suit, the publishers are seeking unspecified monetary damages as well as a court order to prevent Google from engaging in further copyright infringement.