Students don't seem to care if it's theft: »Textbooks are ridiculously expensive«

Rent has to be paid, insurance has to be paid — and then the new syllabus textbook list drops. Every semester, students hand over an average of DKK 2,400 to keep up with the curriculum.

But fewer and fewer students are making their way to the bookstore these days. A new survey shows that more than half of university students (54 per cent) get their textbooks illegally instead. And this kind of piracy and sharing is not just a breach of the University of Copenhagen’s (UCPH) agreements with authors and producers’ group Copydan — it’s also a violation of Danish copyright laws.

In the worst case, students risk both a fine and a criminal record. But this isn’t deterring them from straying off the straight and narrow.

READ ALSO: Textbook piracy is a crime — and half of students are guilty

The University Post took a bike out to ask a handful of students what they think about piracy.

»I can damn well understand why people do it«

It is lunchtime in a packed cafeteria in the Panum building complex at the University of Copenhagen, and Emma Christensen shares how she got hold of her textbooks this semester:

»I’ve spent around DKK 1,000 on books, but I was lucky to find many of them second-hand. Last semester I bought them new and spent something in the region of DKK 1,500-1,700,« she says.

Have you ever had illegal digital copies of textbooks during your studies?

»Yes, I will be honest with you and say I have. You always know someone who’s in their sixth semester and who has the PDF. Every semester, someone has the books,« she says.

Do you think about the consequences of having illegally acquired textbooks?

»No, I don’t. Because overall, lots of books are still being bought. If I got all my books illegally in a semester, I might think more about it — but that’s just not how it works. You’re lucky if you get one. I’ve thought it was a bit amiss, but I’ve never really thought that it was outright illegal,« says Emma Christensen.

She acknowledges that illegal sharing is problematic, but she also believes that textbooks have become unreasonably expensive. According to Emma Christensen, a single semester’s books can easily cost DKK 2,500, which makes student life difficult to manage.

»Housing is expensive, food is expensive, and now books are expensive too. I get why it’s illegal — but I damn well also understand why people do it,« she says.

Emma Christensen thinks the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) should make it easier for students to get second-hand books instead.

»There should be a place at UCPH for used books, where your old books could be assessed. Maybe you could get a few hundred kroner for handing in an old book and get something back that way,« says Emma Christensen.

»Like crossing at a red light«

At the Faculty of Social Sciences, I catch up with sociology student Astrid Bang Therkildsen.

How much have you spent on textbooks this semester?

»I spent DKK 350 on one book. It’s the only book we need this semester, and I bought it new. I usually spend a maximum of DKK 400 on textbooks, and then I choose the ones that are most important, because I don’t feel I can afford more. I could probably afford it if I wanted to, but I just don’t want to prioritise my money that way,« says Astrid Bang Therkildsen.

Like the majority, Astrid Bang Therkildsen, has also had illegal books during their studies. When they

Non-binary pronoun: they/them

had a course in their fourth semester that required five different books, one of their fellow students took the initiative to collect all the necessary books in a shared drive that was posted on Facebook. This semester too, Astrid has already been offered the online version of the book they bought in print — twice.

»I’ve never scanned a book and shared it with others than myself, but where exactly is the line between what’s legal and what’s not? I don’t know,« says Astrid Bang Therkildsen.

Why do you think it’s so widespread, even though it’s illegal?

»I think the normalisation of it makes it feel less illegal. It’s like crossing at a red light. And I’ve never heard of anyone actually facing consequences, so it also feels less illegal when there’s no penalty,« they say.

Astrid Bang Therkildsen also reckons that publishers sometimes exploit students by making only minimal changes to textbooks from year to year.

»I understand that the curriculum needs to be updated, but you do feel a bit exploited. And then it doesn’t feel quite as bad to exploit them in return,« says Astrid Bang Therkildsen.

»I don’t think making books cheaper would help«

On his way to a lecture, anthropology student David Paris says he has spent DKK 160 on textbooks this semester:

»I’m writing my bachelor’s project and only have one course alongside it, but normally I spend around DKK 400–500. Most of the books I’ve bought new, though sometimes I’ve bought them second-hand.«

Have you had illegal digital copies of textbooks during your studies?

»Yes. I don’t think it’s that widespread on our programme or in my year group, but you can find quite a lot of books online and download them. Often, if I know I’m going to read the whole book, I’ll buy it, because I like having a physical copy. But if I only need a few chapters, or if I need to search for specific terms, it’s great to have it online,« he says.

Although David Paris knows that copying textbooks is illegal, he doesn’t think much about the consequences. Still, he acknowledges that authors and publishers ultimately lose money due to pirated books:

»It is a problem, because the people who write the books don’t get paid,« he says, adding that he would like to see better information provided by the study programmes:

»Some textbooks are ridiculously expensive, but I don’t think making them cheaper would help — it would still be money that students have to spend. Maybe more awareness would help. For instance, you can legally access most things through the Royal Library, but you don’t really know about that at the beginning of your studies,« he says.

»In Ireland we had access to all texts through the university«

This semester, political science student Isabella Smith only has two courses and has spent DKK 800 on textbooks, but she usually spends more:

»Normally I spend around DKK 1,600–1,700, and I buy my books second-hand if I can find them — so that’s already half the original price,« she says.

She has had illegal digital textbooks once, and Isabella Smith also believes that normalisation makes it feel »less dangerous,« as she puts it.

After a recent exchange stay, she thinks the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) could learn from how things are done in other countries.

»I just went on exchange in Ireland, where I took 30 ECTS credits and five courses, and no one asked me to buy a physical book. Instead, we had articles and online books that we could access through the university,« she says.

When a new semester begins, the high cost of brand-new textbooks hits harder than the risk of breaking the law — especially on a tight student budget. As Isabella Smith puts it, echoing other students interviewed by the University Post:

»It’s nuts that we have been asked to spend that much money on textbooks by the university.«