Joseph Henry Vogel awarded anti-piracy (anti-OER?) patent

Open Educational Resources (OER)

Joseph Henry Vogel awarded anti-piracy (anti-OER?) patent

Jun 13, 2012

COUNTER-REVOLUTION: Chances are likely that you've shared textbooks back in the days. (Or perhaps even photocopied pages--gasp!) Here's one solution from Joseph Henry Vogel, professor of economics at University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, that's bound to make him a pariah with the OER crowd. Last week he received approval for a patent in which online discussion boards for classes will only be open to those who purchase printed texts (where unique access codes are stored). The result: students can still use old tricks to get textbooks but their grades will be affected unless they fork over the money. No surprise that the Association of American publishers are reportedly welcoming the idea. It's not finding many fans elsewhere for all the obvious reasons, says Ars Technica.

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