Richard: I understand why publishing houses have called for a crack down on illegal copies of

books. It’s a big loss for them if everyone buys pirated books instead of paying the full price.

Nancy: I agree. If the publishers don’t take action against illegal publications, they and the

authors of the books lose money. Then the publishers have to save money by lowering the quality of their books.

Richard: That’s why intellectual property rights have to be protected. It will do do good not only

for the publishers, but to consumers as well.

Nancy: You said it. I’m all for protecting intellectual property rights. But I also think books are

getting more expensive every day, and some students have no choice but yo buy cheap books.

Richard: I beg to disagree. There is no excuse for college kids to buy mobile phones and then say they can’t afford books.

Nancy: But to really solve the piracy problem, we need cheaper books as well as harsher

punishments.