Students Risk Summons and Lawsuits by Illegally Sharing Study Books
There is no change to be traced after several years of educational work, as students continue to share study books illegally. Rights Alliance is therefore forced to take tougher measures and will now take students to court if they violate copyright.
The special interest organisation Rights Alliance, which works to prevent copyright violation, is now using new and tougher measures to prevent illegal sharing of textbooks.
Since the beginning of February, the interest group has been working to file cases against students who violate copyright by illegally sharing digital study books.
This is a consequence of the organisation's information campaigns not succeeding in curbing illegal sharing of textbooks, the Rights Alliance states.
A survey from 2025 conducted by Epinion shows that 57 percent of the surveyed students who use digital study books have acquired at least one book illegally.
69 percent of the student respondents are aware that it’s illegal, while 74 percent find it acceptable to share books illegally with their fellow students.
"When more than half of the population is still sharing textbooks illegally, we need to send a clearer signal. There must be consequences if the law is violated – just like in all other areas of society," says Director of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund in a press release.
Wants to set an example
The Rights Alliance states that they’ll select cases to set an example of how sharing individual digital textbooks is illegal.
"We don’t want to punish individuals, but to create a cultural change where the students understand that illegal sharing has consequences," Maria Fredenslund says.
Students may be fined if the court finds evidence that the student has violated copyright.
"When authorities and society put action behind our laws and rules, we can better motivate students to respect and comply with them," Maria Fredenslund says.
The Rights Alliance states that they have informed the country's educational institutions about the new initiatives, where they also encourage the educational institutions to inform the students about the intensified efforts and the consequences of illegal sharing of study materials.
Market for Danish study books is under threat
According to a study conducted by the consultancy CphFacilitation, the book industry and the state lost an estimated DKK 225 million in 2022 due to pirated copies of digital study books.
And this affects the quality, says Henrik Gejlager, director of Gyldendal Education and chair of the Executive Committee of the Danish Educational Publishers.
"The extent of the illegal sharing among students is now so massive that it actually threatens the entire market for Danish study books," Henrik Gejlager says.
"If the trend continues, we simply risk that there is no longer a sustainable study book market in Denmark," he says.
According to the Rights Alliance, it can become a structural problem for the Danish knowledge society if the Danish educational publishers are under-resourced.
This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.