Textbook Publishers Settle Series Of Counterfeit Book Copyright, Trademark Suits

Los Angeles — Education publishing companies Cengage Learning Inc., John Wiley and Sons Inc., Pearson Education Inc. and McGraw-Hill Education said Tuesday they had settled five separate lawsuits involving copyright and trademark infringement claims against companies relating to the sale of counterfeit textbooks.

The five unconnected settlements call for a combined payment of more than $2.6 million dollars and agreements not to engage in any infringement going forward, Cengage said in a statement.

The five distributors settling publishers’ claims are Kentwood Industries, Texas Book Company, Sterling Educational Media, Davis Textbook and ABSnext Corp.

The settlements came about after an intensive investigation by the education companies revealed a large wave of counterfeit textbooks being distributed in the United States, according to Cengage.

The investigation also revealed that overseas suppliers identified as sources of counterfeit textbooks were among the sources the textbook distributors used to acquire their books, Cengage said.

“We hope that these settlements send a strong message that textbook publishers will not allow those who profit from the sale of counterfeit works to pocket that money,” attorney for the publishers Matt Oppenheim said

“These companies are continuing to enforce their rights and do not intend to allow others to sell infringing copies of their textbooks without facing the consequences of doing so,” he said.

The publishers are currently pursuing action against other groups of individuals and companies that engaged in similar conduct, Cengage said.