Comments on: Harvard University Press to go online with Scribd http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/harvard-university-press-to-go-online-with-scribd/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:35:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: pond http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/harvard-university-press-to-go-online-with-scribd/comment-page-1/#comment-1109902 pond Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:22:22 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/?p=25698#comment-1109902 This is one of those very-interesting consequences of the way Scribd has set up its anti-piracy efforts. They compare submissions to their own database. By putting their works into the Scribd database, Harvard Press gives Scribd what it needs to block illicit copies from being uploaded. Harvard blocks one avenue of 'piracy' and Scribd gets to claim both these books as in their catalog, and the prestige of the hallowed Harvard name. Not a bad trade-off. Indeed, with 'flexible pricing' would it be inconceivable for anti-ebook publishers and authors to put their works on Scribd with list prices of $5,000 or more, just to block the illicit uploads? This is one of those very-interesting consequences of the way Scribd has set up its anti-piracy efforts. They compare submissions to their own database. By putting their works into the Scribd database, Harvard Press gives Scribd what it needs to block illicit copies from being uploaded.

Harvard blocks one avenue of ‘piracy’ and Scribd gets to claim both these books as in their catalog, and the prestige of the hallowed Harvard name. Not a bad trade-off.

Indeed, with ‘flexible pricing’ would it be inconceivable for anti-ebook publishers and authors to put their works on Scribd with list prices of $5,000 or more, just to block the illicit uploads?

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