New patent aims to put restrictions on students sharing textbooks.

The new patent by Joseph Henry Vogel, Professor of Economics, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, has been granted this week. The patent stands for a web-based system and method to capture and distribute royalties for access to copyrighted academic texts by preventing unauthorized access to discussion boards.

A system and method for preventing unauthorized access to copyrighted academic texts is provided in which trademark licenses, discussion boards, and grade content are integrated into a web-based system that aligns the interests of teaching professionals, students, and publishers while also enhancing the overarching academic mission to create and disseminate knowledge.