August 16, 2004
Cell phone users using their cameras to copy textbooks
Cell phones with built-in digital cameras, a popular item among young Koreans, are increasingly being used to illegally copy book contents, reports JoongAng Daily via Smart Mobs
"Kyobo Book Centre in Seoul's Gwanghwamun, the nation's largest bookstore, recently posted a placard that reads, "Photographing the cover and contents of books here violates the copyright law."
The bookseller said it hung such a warning because increasing numbers of people are secretly photographing book contents at the store rather than buying the books.
"Since last year, some customers have copied book contents using camera cell phones," said Kyobo employee Kwon Taek-gyeong yesterday.
Dongbo Bookstore in Busan also posted similar warnings.
"As camera cell phones are widespread recently and as there are many who want to save money on books due to economic hard times, illegal copying cases have increased," said Kim Yeong-eun, a staff member at the bookstore.
Books that are targeted for illegal copying are mostly expensive and specialized books such as design, architecture, computer and education books.
"I have seen many university students who photograph tables, pictures and other data from bookstores using their cell phones," said Jang Hey-jin, a graduate student in Busan. "They use the data to write papers."
Bookstore employees said most of the content thieves are students in their 20s and 30s.
Lee Seung-nam, an official at KT, a leading local telecommunications company, said yesterday that the use of mobile phone cameras to copy books is widespread due to the ease of use.
The official said a camera phone can take 100 to 200 photographs at a time, and that photos taken with such mobile phones can be easily magnified and viewed using a computer."
Last year bookstores were complaining about teenagers copying pages out of magazines.
Related articles:
-- Digital shoplifiting in Japan, a growing concern for publishers
-- A campaign to stop people from using camera-equipped cell phones to photograph magazines
-- What 8 teenagers think about digital shoplifting
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