The real problem here is that the textbook industry is being propped up by the government, and I'm not just talking about copyright laws. People are placed at

The real problem here is that the textbook industry is being propped up by the government, and I'm not just talking about copyright laws. People are placed at a serious disadvantage if they don't go to a government-approved university and get a degree. To do this, they have to take certain classes. To take those classes, they have to buy certain textbooks. If people could learn however they wanted without being at a legal disadvantage, even if that just means attending a truly private university, the textbook extortion scheme would be competed away. Why would you tolerate $200 textbooks if you didn't have to get your hands on that legal credential, which can only be offered by certain institutions?