Reading photocopied books written by great authors has become a regular practice, which is not the right way to go about it
I HAVE committed a crime. Not once, not twice but so many times that I have forgotten the count. My crime: copyright violation.
It’s time now for me to pay another long overdue debt. Copyright violation takes different forms. Let’s talk about violating copyrights where it concerns the books.
To me a book is the best source of entertainment and information. It’s simply the best companion. Books have played an important role in shaping up my life — be it my career or my personality. I am indebted to all the authors whose books have enlightened me anew every time I got a chance to read them. Today, I would like to thank that special breed of authors whose copied books I have used during my life.
I have used copied books for my educational development as well as for recreational purposes. In fact, if you ask me, my professional education would not have been possible without those books. I’ll come to the issue of copyright later. First let me talk about why, after all these years, I decided to accept my crime. It’s not that I woke up one fine day and thought about this issue. This thing started bugging me during my post-graduate studies. I guess it’s a sign of learning. When you start thinking about things other than the course materials and yourself. Realization came and along came the feeling of guilt. How to repay the debt? Monetary repayment would take a lifetime. Then came the idea of paying tribute to these authors. That’s the least (or best) I could do.
Coming back to the reasons for using a copied book. Being a student I could not afford to buy original books. Almost all the books were out of my range. Some of them cost more than my semester fee. But that’s not the author’s problem. They have put their time and effort to write that book. Anyway, I kept using the copied books shamelessly. I remember, quite vividly, my encounters with the guy responsible for making the copies of our course books. “I want this book by Saturday. I have a mid-term next week. Please please? Thanks! By the way, have you prepared copies from the Basic Electronics book? What? You haven’t? I can have a quiz any day now!” And the conversation went on and on. Even during the post-grad days, when I had a job, I couldn’t afford to buy original books. A job meant no scholarship and post-graduate studies brought even more books with even bigger price tags. Library resources were not enough. Most of the original books were in the reference section. Even the library had the copies made for the students.
Copyright violation is a culture. You become a part of it without noticing it. And when you notice it, you’ve already sunk deep into the quicksand.
The one blessing in the middle of those chaotic times was the availability of reprints. Reprints are more economical and clearer to read. People who have had the chance to read from a photocopied book and a reprint know what I’m talking about. Even though the reprints had some misprinting at times, they were a gift from up above. The dirty, smudgy photocopies and a clean properly bound book present a stark contrast. Apart from easy reading, a reprint also gives you a relatively peaceful conscience.
These reprints are generally very economical. How would you feel if I tell you that I can get a reprint of a $59.99 book for barely $4? This isn’t over-exaggeration. I can get it for you if you are interested? Oops! I guess you’ve got the point. But let’s not get too carried away by these benefits. Some (most?) of the reprints were also illegally printed. I am not very well aware of the intricacies of the reprinting and copying industry. But, as a student, I got to know that many available reprints were actually not legal reprints.
What could have been done? What can be done? What should be done? Legal reprints need promotion. Believe you me; no student is dying to read a book with soft glossy paper and colourful pictures. As long as the print is clear and contains fewer errors, it is acceptable.
Many technical books are simply not available in this part of the world (not even the copies). Buying them through the Internet makes it even more expensive. Do you know that the delivery charges for a $3 book can be twice the price of the book itself? To solve this problem, publishing houses can develop an international network. This will help them identify the needs of the general public in a particular area. They can then provide effective solutions to these communities.
It would also help to provide fairly good quality paper to the publishing houses at a reasonable rate. This is possible by reducing the tax and duties on the printing paper.
Another problem is the smaller number of libraries in this part of the world. You can count them on your fingers. New libraries are needed to promote a library culture in this society (and in many others too). Publishing houses can provide discount rates to students, educational institutions and public libraries. This will encourage the library owners to avoid buying copied books.
On a personal level, I have maintained a list of all the copied books that I have used. It is not a complete list. And, unfortunately, it has to be updated on a continual basis as I still cannot afford to buy all the original books though I try to buy reprints whenever available.
In the end, it’s time to apologize to all the authors: my sincere and humble apologies, dear authors, for violating your copyrights. Hope you would forgive me and my other partners in crime. We have committed a crime, yes. We had no other option in most of the situations. This is not to imply that it reduces the severity of our crime. Or that it doesn’t make it a crime. Do know that your works and efforts have shaped up many lives. Many engineers, doctors, accountants, scientists, teachers and architects would not have been able to become who they are without your books. You have inspired many souls with your words. You have saved many lives through your books. Thank you. Thanks to each and every individual whose books I, and many others, got copied without their permission.
Reading photocopied books written by great authors has become a regular practice, which is not the right way to go about it 
