McGraw-Hill, Pearson, three other publishers reach settlement with tutoring website Student of Fortune to resolve copyright, trademark infringement claims; publishers allege unauthorized digital copies of materials on site

Kendall Sinclair

NEW YORK , November 9, 2011 (press release) – Five major higher education publishers have entered into a settlement with the online tutoring site Student of Fortune, Inc. ( www.studentoffortune.com ) to resolve claims for copyright and trademark infringement. The publishers include The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Cengage Learning, Inc., Pearson Education, Inc. and Elsevier Inc. Each publisher discovered unauthorized digital copies of its learning materials, including full textbooks and instructor solutions manuals, which had been uploaded by third parties and sold to users on the Student of Fortune site.

Student of Fortune was recently acquired by Chegg, Inc., which quickly cooperated with the five publishers to remove the materials in question from the Student of Fortune Website. The materials had been posted prior to Chegg's acquisition of Student of Fortune. Additionally, Chegg has agreed to implement a program designed to prevent future infringement and promote academic integrity.

"We are pleased to be taking these important steps together with Chegg to preserve the integrity of the academic process and the learning materials that are integral to that process," said Joseph Heider, senior vice president, Global Education, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The higher education publishers were represented by Oppenheim + Zebrak, LLP and Chegg was represented by Durie Tangri LLP. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.


About McGraw-Hill Education:

McGraw-Hill Education is a content, software and services-based education company that draws on its more than 100 years of educational expertise to offer solutions, which improve learning outcomes around the world. McGraw-Hill is the adaptive education technology leader with the vision for creating a highly personalized learning experience that prepares students of all ages for the world that awaits. The company has offices across North America, India, China, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions available in more than 65 languages. For additional information, visit http://www.mheducation.com/ .

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