High copyright fees not 'right' for students

The typical college student could get through an average week of school with about $60. But, that same $60 will not get a student through day one of Ronald Bettig's Communications 405 or 413 classes. And Bettig is not happy about that fact.

Bettig, an assistant professor of communications, watched as the price of a packet in his Communications 405 (Political Economy of Communications) class skyrocketed from $25.75 in Fall 1993 to $68.20 this semester.

"The price of packets, compared to what they used to be, is absolutely ridiculous," Bettig said.

Many students are also baffled by high-priced packets.

"They're just dittos, so I can't believe they're so expensive," said Katrina Terzulli (junior-telecommunications).

- Ronald Bettig, assistant professor of communications

Copyright clearance fees are what copy stores such as Kinko's, ProCopy Inc. and Copy Center Services on campus pay to the publishers of the works they reproduce in the packets, Bettig said.

"Each article in a packet must go through a copyright clearance process, and the publishers ask from five to 15 cents per page per packet or $1.50 for the entire article per packet," said April Sheninger, coordinator of the Copyright Clearance Office, which obtains the copyright clearances for Copy Center Services' packets.

Bettig, author of Copyrighting Culture: The Political Economy of Intellectual Property, said there is no denying that the publishers' greed has hurt academics across the nation. He has shaved more than 100 pages from his Communications 405 packet, he added.

"I'm forced to avoid certain articles or pieces that I think students should read because it would make the packet even more outrageously expensive," Bettig said.

And some professors have stopped using packets entirely.

"I've done away with packets because they have become too expensive," said Robert D. Richards, associate professor of journalism and law. "The copyright costs do have an impact on education,"

Back in the days of the $25.75 Communications 405 packet, area photocopy shops making course packets did not pay royalties to the publishers. That changed when the six major publishers sued Kinko's for royalties. After a brief legal battle, Kinko's settled out of court and began paying the royalties, Bettig said.

"Kinko's basically sold academics and other mom and pop copy shops up the river by settling with the publishers," Bettig said.

In addition to the added costs of copyright clearances, bookstores mark up the prices of packets considerably, Bettig said.

The typical mark-up on packets is 20 percent, said Tom Bauer, general manager of the Penn State Bookstore on campus.

In order to battle high packet costs Bettig puts copies of his course packets on reserve at Pattee. He also distributes lists of students interested in selling their packets to students enrolled in the same course the next semester.

Unfortunately, there is no price relief for packets in sight, and education will continue to be at the mercy of publishers, Bettig said.

"Somebody," he said, "needs to stand up to for the rights of academia."