Textbook prices are so high that they create the impression among students that the publishers are stealing from them. Copyright provides publishers with a lega

Textbook prices are so high that they create the impression among students that the publishers are stealing from them. Copyright provides publishers with a legal monopoly, which they exploit to increase prices. Whether we like it or not, piracy disrupts this monopoly. Given years of abuse, the customer base that purchases textbooks has no patience for moral grandstanding. 'Lower prices or die' should be the message to publishers.