Academic Journals Are Not Tools for Profit

A court recently ruled in favor of a university student who sued an online digital library of academic journals for 43 yuan (US$6.39) in overcharged download fees that has since sparked discussions nationwide about access to knowledge and educational resources in China.  
 
The student at Jiangsu Province’s Soochow University, surnamed Liu, sued CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) in May 2018 after being charged 50 yuan (US$7.44) for the download of an academic paper advertised for seven yuan (US$1.04) on the website.
 
When Liu requested a refund, CNKI said there would be a “handling fee,” media reported. A Suzhou district court ruled that CNKI had infringed on Liu’s rights as a consumer because it forced users to pay additional fees to process refunds.　
 
Journals like CNKI should not be allowed to take advantage of research and academic resources to profit beyond minimal fees, read a recent commentary by Li Wenxuan in the Shanghai-based outlet The Paper.　

It argued that academic papers result from significant funding and the hard work of researchers while publishers spend little to reap the benefits and do not pay royalties to scholars of popular works.　
 
The purpose of such databases is to improve the dissemination of knowledge, but such practices are exploiting such resources for profit. It is unacceptable that money is the only key to access the database of knowledge. 
 
While there is no need to require CNKI to make its services free to the public, the case serves as a warning to the increasing costs of knowledge, the article read.