Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
113 S. Ct. 1351 (2013)
Dr. Supap Kirtsaeng.
Kirtsaeng engaged in the importation and resale of textbooks in order to pay for his educational expenses. This was profitable for him because the price difference between the U.S. Edition and the International Edition of essentially the same book.
Today, many students participate in textbook sharing in order to defray the astronomical cost of U.S. textbooks. U.S. Textbook prices have risen 812% since 1978, and even adjusting for inflation the price has tripled. Some professors and students are also experimenting with free open-access textbooks.