Sci-Hub’s cache of pirated papers is so big, subscription journals are doomed

Re:Sci-Hub’s cache of pirated papers is so big, subscription... by philipkglass on Thursday July 27, 2017 @03:03PM (#14868331)

I don't think that sci-hub is going to kill off institutional journal subscriptions in the developed world. It's similar to how developed-country universities didn't stop buying licensed software and start passing around cracked versions to their faculty and students. Journal revenue isn't going to plummet like CD sales after Napster, because it's not individuals doing most of the purchasing in the first place.

Individuals and institutions in poor countries may well turn to sci-hub. I certainly have. But I would venture that not much of the journals' revenue came from individuals or poor institutions in the first place. I didn't pay to read paywalled papers before sci-hub either; I got them via authors' sites or personal contacts, or just didn't get to read them at all.

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Re:Sci-Hub’s cache of pirated papers is so big, subscription... by ballenf on Thursday July 27, 2017 @03:46PM (#14868748)

Tend to agree. There might even be an argument that SciHub provides something of a pressure release valve that will allow paywalls to continue. Similar to how pirated Windows copies can be said to have helped solidify Windows' market share. Or even, in my own mind, how pirated Adobe applications helped people learn the tools and go on to work at companies with legitimate licenses.

Elsevier, et al, can now make a legitimate claim that they are not restricting access to those who cannot afford a sub. But their tax on academia will continue.

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