Those who take on the global industry that traps research behind paywalls are heroes, not thievesNever underestimate the power of one determined person. What Carole Cadwalladr has done to Facebook and big data, and Edward Snowden has done to the state security complex, Alexandra Elbakyan has done to the multibillion-dollar industry that traps knowledge behind paywalls. Sci-Hub, her pirate web scraper service, has done more than any government to tackle one of the biggest rip-offs of the modern era: the capture of publicly funded research that should belong to us all. Everyone should be free to learn; knowledge should be disseminated as widely as possible. No one would publicly disagree with these sentiments. Yet governments and universities have allowed the big academic publishers to deny these rights. Academic publishing might sound like an obscure and fusty affair, but it uses one of the most ruthless and profitable business models of any industry.The model was pioneered by the notorious conman Robert Maxwell. He realised that, because scientists need to be informed about all significant developments in their field, every journal that publishes academic papers can establish a monopoly and charge outrageous fees for the transmission of knowledge. He called his discovery “a perpetual financing machine”. He also realised that he could capture other people’s labour and resources for nothing. Governments funded the research published by his company, Pergamon, while... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B Is for Books allows kids and families to browse, read, and select up to three books to take home. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Cengage, Elsevier, Macmillan Learning, and McGraw Hill have filed a lawsuit accusing Google of promoting unauthorized copies of their textbooks by allowing pirate sites to continue to run ads even after receiving thousands of takedown requests. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Elsevier, Cengage Learning, Macmillan Learning, and McGraw Hill charge that Google has 'caused immeasurable harm' by advertising pirated content. The post Major Publishers Sue Google Over Ads for Pirated Ebooks appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-06-05 21:10:35 UTC ]
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The work of late queer author Fritz Peters has fallen off the radar and out of print—leaving room for a small Los Angeles production company to pick up rights to the books, reissue five of them, and fast track the process of adapting them into films. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Longtime technology news and review site Gizmodo has been sold for the third time in the past eight years Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2024-06-04 20:54:20 UTC ]
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In honor of Baldwin's 100th birthday, Beacon Press, Duke University Press, Vintage Books, and more are finding ways to commemorate the writer's centenary, including unique reissues and deluxe editions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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More than 380 authors, publishing houses, and advocacy groups have signed an open letter protesting "vague and overbroad" new South Carolina education standards, slated to take effect on June 25. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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As Asian American Pacific Islander Month comes to end, it’s important to remind ourselves that the Asian American identity is more than just race or shared affinity. Born out of political activism and the anti-war movement to protest and rally against injustice, warfare, imperialism, and... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-05-30 11:00:00 UTC ]
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The Publishers Association in London is in advanced stages of development with its 'Publishing Declares' sustainability pledge program. The post UK: Jude Gates Leads the Publishers Association’s Sustainability Task Force appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-24 22:09:15 UTC ]
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The journey is just beginning, but we can already see that publishing workflows are especially ripe for AI integration that enables the automation of rote tasks—and AI-driven support for more humans making more complex decisions and judgments. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Enhancements to Amazon Publisher Cloud and debut of Signal IQ represent the triopolist’s latest adland overture. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2024-05-21 04:01:00 UTC ]
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A24, the New York–based film and TV company, and Mack, the London-based publisher of art and photography books and critical studies, have partnered to distribute A24’s books worldwide, and to publish new books in the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Two top editors at Penguin Random House are leaving as the country’s leading trading publisher continues to transform during a period of uncertain revenues and generational change Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2024-05-21 00:54:12 UTC ]
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The departures of Reagan Arthur, who led Alfred A. Knopf, and Lisa Lucas, who held the top job at Pantheon and Schocken, came as a surprise to many in the company. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-05-20 22:16:53 UTC ]
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For a Latin American publisher, it’s harder to enter Spain than the United States, one children's book publisher said at Bogotá's book fair. The post Latin American Publishers on Children’s Books, and Markets appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-20 19:58:13 UTC ]
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A local electrical engineer with a passion for literature is on a mission to share the stories of local authors who have struggled to break into the mainstream publishing industry. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-05-20 10:00:37 UTC ]
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Georgia's foreign agents bill is drawing criticism from PEN Georgia, the Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association, and others. The post Republic of Georgia: Publishing Industry Criticizes ‘Foreign Agents’ Bill appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-17 19:01:14 UTC ]
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