A Web site featuring hundreds of links to bootleg textbooks has been taken offline. The site, called Textbook Torrents, had been operating since January 2007, but it only came to the attention of textbook publishers after The Chronicle asked them about it. Visitors to the site now see an error message saying “Site Temporarily Unavailable.” The site’s founder, who had previously talked with The Chronicle on the condition that he not be named out of fear of being sued, could not be reached for comment because his e-mail address and Skype accounts are no longer in service.
Before the site was taken down, Pearson Education sent the site a note demanding that 78 of its titles be removed. The founder of the site quickly removed those titles, but he wrote a note on the site saying that he had no plans of shutting down the service.
Representatives from the Association of American Publishers, which has been coordinating an anti-piracy effort on behalf of its members, could not be reached for comment on Friday. So it is unclear whether Textbook Torrent’s absence came as a result of any action by publishers—or whether or not it will return.—Jeffrey R. Young
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